The Dodgers have acquired veteran right-handed starter Jack Flaherty from the Detroit Tigers, the teams announced Tuesday. In return, the Dodgers are sending High-A catcher/first baseman Thayron Liranzo and Triple-A shortstop Trey Sweeney to the the Tigers.
Flaherty, 28, has enjoyed an excellent bounce-back season in Detroit after inking a one-year deal with the Tigers this past winter. In 106 2/3 innings this season spread across 18 starts, Flaherty has pitched to a 2.95 ERA and a 3.10 FIP with a K/BB ratio of 7.00 – the latter easily a career-best mark. Perhaps most impressive, Flaherty has struck out 32.1% of opposing batters, which is an excellent mark for a starting pitcher.
The Dodgers have a litany of injuries to their rotation, so that's where Flaherty as a rental comes in. Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May won't be back this season. Walker Buehler has a hip injury in his first season back from Tommy John surgery and struggled in his last rehab start. It's unknown how long Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be out with his concerning arm injury.
As for the non-IL starters, Clayton Kershaw is back from his offseason surgery, but he only lasted four innings in his first start. Tyler Glasnow is a frontline starter, but he's thrown 114 innings so far and his career high is the 120 he threw last year. Gavin Stone has pitched well, but he's also going to have workload concerns down the stretch. Rookie River Ryan has looked good through two starts, but it's only two starts and any rookie moving into August is going to be a question mark.
This meant the Dodgers had a glaring need to add some starting pitching depth, ideally with a frontline-type starter, and that's where Flaherty fits.
Back in June, CBS Sports ranked Flaherty as the No. 14 potential trade target leading up to the July 30 deadline. Here's part of our write-up:
"Give Flaherty credit: his stock is higher now than it was last deadline, when the Cardinals shipped him to the Orioles. He's throwing a little harder; he's generating more whiffs and more chases; and he has a dazzling statline despite not really altering his arsenal in a meaningful way. He's a free agent at year's end, and the Tigers have no reason to hold onto him past the deadline unless they want to use the exclusive negotiating window to work out a new deal."
For his career, Flaherty, who was a St. Louis Cardinals lifer before this season, has an ERA+ of 113 across parts of eight major-league seasons. As a 23-year-old in 2019, he finished fourth in the NL Cy Young balloting. This season, he's owed the balance of a $14 million salary before reaching free agency for a second consecutive winter.
