DETROIT -- The Detroit Tigers got an early-offseason surprise on Tuesday: veteran right-hander Jack Flaherty has exercised his player option and will return to the club at a $20 million salary for the 2026 season.

Flaherty, 30, was coming off an inconsistent 2025 campaign but was generally projected to earn more in free agency had he tested the market. Instead, he’ll return to Detroit for a third season.

“I love these guys,” Flaherty said after the Tigers were eliminated from the playoffs last month. “I came back here for a reason. I may not have pitched as well as I would’ve hoped during the regular season, but we got ourselves in a good position, got into the playoffs. Didn’t matter how. Faced some big games with these guys, gave everything I had. You love each and every guy in here, a

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