Why aren’t the Orioles interested in Jack Flaherty? | MAILBAG

Question: Why do you think the Orioles, and the rest of the league, haven’t shown interest in signing free-agent pitcher Jack Flaherty? Are there injury concerns? Is his asking price too high? Is there something about his previous stint with the Orioles that has the Birds disinterested? He has a solid winning record and low career ERA and performed well in the postseason last year with the Dodgers. What’s up? From: Ray Mullady

Answer: Ray, Flaherty recently appeared on the Foul Territory podcast and seemed perplexed by the lack of interest in him. He said clubs have called but haven’t made offers.

His experience with the Orioles wasn’t a good one, but he was able to sign a one-year, $14 million contract with Detroit last year. I think he’s by far the best unsigned starter, and if he doesn’t sign before spring training starts in the next two weeks, he might have to wait until a starting pitcher somewhere suffers an injury.

Question: I have seen Jake Cunningham’s monster home run in the Arizona Fall League. What can you tell me about his future with the Orioles? From: Bill Hilton

Answer: Bill, Cunningham is a 22-year-old outfielder who was a fifth-round draft choice in 2023.

He didn’t display much power last season — four home runs in 92 games at High-A Aberdeen and Single-A Delmarva, though he hit well in the AFL — 9-for-23 in six games with two homers and eight RBIs.

The Orioles’ minor leagues aren’t teeming with outfielders, and he should get an opportunity to play this year. He’ll probably return to IronBirds, and if he has a good start, he could move up to the Baysox and get some attention.

Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.