The Baltimore Orioles see signing right-hander Jack Flaherty as "one fallback option" if Corbin Burnes walks in free agency, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

According to Rosenthal, the Boston Red Sox are another team that "can not be ruled out for Flaherty."

The Red Sox "liked" Flaherty last offseason before he signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Tigers, Rosenthal wrote.

A midseason trade by the Tigers sent Flaherty to the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he started five postseason games on the team's way to the 2024 World Series title.

After recording a loss to the San Diego Padres in Game 2 of the NLDS, Flaherty bounced back with a strong seven innings in a Game 1 NLCS victory over the New York Mets.

Flaherty struggled over his last three starts of the postseason, then capped off the stretch by allowing the New York Yankees to hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning of the Dodgers' victorious Game 5 of the World Series.

Flaherty, who is from southern California, said after winning the title with the Dodgers that he wanted to stay with the team.

"I love this city. I never want to leave," Flaherty said during the Dodgers victory parade.

But the Dodgers' rotation got more crowded following the signing Blake Snell to a five-year, $182 million deal alongside the anticipated return of Shohei Ohtani.

Flaherty played the 2024 season on a one-year, $14 million agreement with the Tigers. He is projected by Spotrac to receive a three-year, $63 million contract on his next deal, but that price could rise given the strong market for pitching this weekend.

The Red Sox recently acquired Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox, adding him to a rotation currently staffed by Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford and Lucas Giolioto.

Boston isn't done making adjustments to this rotation, if the club's reported interest in Max Fried was any indication. The Red Sox made Fried a seven-year, $190 million offer before he signed with the New York Yankees, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Flaherty would be a more affordable addition that could allow the team to still add veteran experience to the rotation.

The Orioles are meanwhile in danger of missing out on Burnes, whose price could continue rising after the Fried deal. USA Today's Bob Nightengale recently reported that Burnes is expected to sign for more than $250 million, and that he has been "in serious talks" with the San Francisco Giants.

Baltimore could consider Flaherty an attractive alternative in part because he didn't receive a qualifying offer from the Dodgers. The Orioles are focused on collecting draft stock and would prefer to find a pitcher who doesn't cost them a compensatory pick, per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon.

Flaherty recorded a 3.17 ERA through 28 starts and 162.0 innings with the Tigers and Dodgers last season. Should he sign with the Red Sox or Orioles, the contract would mark his fourth team since the St. Louis Cardinals traded him in August 2023.