There's some weirdness in Flaherty's AAV that could lead to quite the discount next year due to the "Valley Charge."
Might come in handy if the Tigers might be pushing close to the CBT next year, which they might with a Bregman signing or a signing or two next year. Greene hits arbitration. Skubal hits Arb 5.
Long story short, Flaherty's AAV this year will actually be 27.5M, with next year being his salary minus 7.5, meaning if he declines, the Tigers get a 7.5M discount on their AAV calculation. (I'm awaiting confirmation on what happens if his contract incentives push his option year up to 80%, thus wiping out the valley tax)
This contract could be signaling that they are planning to be considering the tax next year.