"Tarik Skubal is more chill than me" - Jack Flaherty shares intriguing details of competing with Cy Young winner in Tigers rotation

Jack Flaherty made a round trip from LA to Detroit, as he re-signed with the Tigers in the offseason. The right-handed pitcher joins reigning Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal after winning the World Series with the Dodgers.

While the Dodgers didn't have any room for him in their stacked rotation, the Tigers, who traded him in the first place, re-signed him to a two-year, $35 million contract.

During an interview with MLB Network on Monday, Flaherty spoke about joining Skubal once again and helming the Tigers rotation.

"Competing with Scoob every single day and everything that comes with it — you know, he's incredible," Flaherty said.

"He's incredible to watch, incredible to be around. It's fun to compete with him and go back and forth every day. It's just fun to watch him try to get better, make little adjustments, and see how he approaches things."

Flaherty also added the difference between him and Skubal.

"He's incredible," Flaherty added. "And on game days, he's a little more chill than I am. You can still talk to him and mess around with him, and then he's able to lock in and do his thing. So yeah, he's incredible."

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Jack Flaherty and Tarik Skubal's same mindset bound to help the Tigers

Both Jack Flaherty and Tarik Skubal had great years in their own right. Flaherty went 13-7 with a 3.18 ERA and 194 strikeouts, while Skubal went 18-4 with a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts. The only difference was that Flaherty was traded to the Dodgers ahead of the trade deadline.

During the same interview, Flaherty highlighted the same mindset with Skubal, which is to improve every day.

"But then you look at him and remind him, ‘You do throw 100 mph from the left side with one of the best changeups in baseball,’" Flaherty said.

"So, I think he's going to be OK no matter what. But it's fun because he thinks similarly to how I do—like, ‘Yeah, I can do all these things, but I want to get better at this, or even that.’"

With Flaherty and Skubal at the top of the rotation, the Tigers will hope to qualify for the postseason again in 2025.