Jack Flaherty absolutely mystified by lack of MLB free agency interest

No one likes waiting for the phone to ring.World Series Champions are no exception.Jack Flaherty — 29-years-old and coming off a season in which he pitched to a 13-7 record and a 3.17 ERA — can’t buy a contract.

Not in this economy. “We’re waiting,” Flaherty said of his camp during an appearance on the “Foul Territory” baseball show Thursday.“I just want to play ball.”Why exactly the starting pitcher can’t get a call is unclear.

Flaherty, for his part, thinks it’s because front offices lack the championship mindset.“You have a certain number of teams that want to win, they look at their rosters and they’re happy [enough] with it,” he said.“I think teams just want to get into the playoffs — [it’s] not World Series or bust, but ‘[Let’s] hope we get into the playoffs and see what happens.’”Despite his track record of success in eight big league seasons — including a career record of 55-41 and lifetime 3.63 ERA — there’s probably no room left for Flaherty in Los Angeles, where he spent the back-half of the 2024 season.

The Dodgers had acquired the righty at the deadline from the Detroit Tigers to shore up a rotation decimated by injury.“I’m not going back to L.A.most likely — I can do the numbers, do the math,” Flaherty said Thursday.

“It doesn’t bother me.I’m trying to go elsewhere and win and see if we can’t beat those guys.”Los Angeles brass seems to have made it their mission to spend the entire lump sum saved in the Juan Soto sweepstakes in the course of one offseason, coming to terms with an All-Star roster’s worth of talent — including Japanese phenom pitcher Rōki Sasaki and two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell.Flaherty’s results during his tenure with the Dodgers were mixed.

He pitched well enough in ten regular season starts, earning a 6-2 record and a 3.58 ERA, but then just one win in five postseason starts.In Game 5 of the World Series against the Yankees, he surrendered four ea...