MLB insider examines issue clouding $63,000,000 ex-Dodgers star's free agency

The Los Angeles Dodgers added Jack Flaherty to their starting rotation from the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline last year, and he went on to play a crucial role in helping the Dodgers clinch the World Series. However, Flaherty still remains an unsigned free agent at this point, with Sportrac estimating his market value at $63 million for a three-year deal.

MLB insider Buster Olney feels there may be some disparity in what Jack Flaherty is hoping to receive and what teams are actually looking to pay for him as to why the right-hander has not been signed up so far. Olney also pointed out that the New York Yankees had blocked a move for the pitcher due to a failed medical before he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers last year.

Buster Olney is a senior MLB reporter and columnist for ESPN. He offered his thoughts on the free agency of Jack Flaherty while coming on as a guest for the Dodgers Territory podcast on Friday.

"A lot of times when free agents are not signed at this point, the first question is, "Are they tied to a draft pick compensation?"" Olney said. "Jack's not tied to a draft pick compensation because he was traded in the middle of last year. So, one of my questions would be what's been the ask from Jack's camp to teams. Maybe there's a big gap between what he's looking for.

"We know the Yankees flunked him on a physical last year," he added. "They're not doing that on a whim. I don't have his medical records, but it'd be one of the questions that I'd ask."

Flaherty pitched 162.0 innings last year for the Detroit Tigers and the Los Angeles Dodgers and posted a 13-7 record with a 3.17 ERA and 194 strikeouts.

Buster Olney feels ex-Dodgers pitcher Jack Flaherty will have suitors in the near future

Jack Flaherty was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1st round of the 2015 MLB Draft (Image Source: Imagn)

Buster Olney thinks Jack Flaherty will receive a fair contract from a team before the start of the season despite the lingering question marks about his long-term durability. He believes not every team values the medical records equally, as the Toronto Blue Jays signed right-handed reliever Jeff Hoffman earlier this month even though he had reportedly flunked a medical with the Baltimore Orioles.

"You wonder how many teams have looked at the medical records. Is that a factor, as it was Jeff Hoffman who originally worked out a deal with the Atlanta Braves? And when that fell apart, he worked out a deal with the Orioles, and that fell out because of a physical. So, I'd be curious to see what's in Jack Flaherty's physical."

The Los Angeles Dodgers are certainly not going to be a landing spot for Jack Flaherty, as they have already added Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki to their starting rotation in this off-season.