Dodgers Make Biggest Trade of Deadline, Acquire Star Pitcher From Tigers

Ricardo Sandoval | Jul 30, 2024

Detroit Tigers pitcher Jack Flaherty (9) delivers a pitch against Cleveland Guardians during the first inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Thursday, July 11, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Los Angeles Dodgers struck gold in the final minutes of the 2024 MLB trade deadline, acquiring right-handed pitcher Jack Flaherty from the Detroit Tigers.

In a deadline that was a boon for sellers and light on top-of-the-line starters changing teams, Flaherty ended up being of the best pitchers to move in advance of the 3 p.m. PT Tuesday deadline.

Flaherty will join the Dodgers and presumably become one of the top arms in the rotation.

ESPN's Jeff Passan was the first to report on the deal via Twitter/X.

BREAKING: Jack Flaherty to the Dodgers.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 30, 2024

Flaherty will make his way back to his hometown in exchange for L.A.'s No. 8 and No. 22 prospects, respectively, Thayron Liranzo and Trey Sweeney.

The 28-year-old comes to Los Angeles sporting a 2.95 ERA and 133 strikeouts in 18 starts this year.  Among pitchers with at least 100 innings, his 32 K percentage ranks fifth in all of baseball. Flaherty also trimmed his walk rate to a career-best 4.6 percent.

The former first-round pick is a Burbank native and attended Harvard-Westlake in Studio City. The St. Louis Cardinals drafted Flaherty in the 2014 MLB Draft and he made his major league debut in 2017. The right-handed pitcher earned a fifth-place finish in the Rookie of the Year voting in 2018 and finished fourth in the National League Cy Young voting in 2019.

Flaherty has a career record of 49-39, with a 3.64 ERA, 881 strikeouts, and a 1.18 WHIP in 149 games and 774.1 innings. The Dodgers acquired five players by the deadline.

Liranzo, 21, cracked Baseball Prospectus' Top-100 list for the first time prior to the 2024 season, checking in at No. 70. A catcher/first baseman, he is hitting .220 with a .344 on-base percentage and .356 slugging percentage at low-A Great Lakes.

Sweeney, 24, was originally acquired last December from the New York Yankees for left-handed pitcher Victor González and minor league infielder Jorbit Vivas. He spent the entirety of his only season in the Dodgers organization with Triple-A Oklahoma, batting .255 with a .334 on-base percentage and .427 slugging percentage.

Flaherty was scheduled to start Monday for the Tigers, who are currently playing the Cleveland Guardians. It's unclear if and when he will make his Dodgers debut.

Flaherty pitched in the 2017 Futures Game and was a consensus Top-100 prospect prior to the 2018 season. Although he received Rookie of the Year votes in 2018 and Cy Young Award votes the following season, it's been a long road back for Flaherty.

He dealt with an oblique injury in 2021 and a shoulder injury in 2022. When he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles at the 2023 deadline, Flaherty was pitching out of the Cardinals' bullpen.

Now, he'll have a chance to continue his bounceback season with his hometown team — one that was happy to come away with no small prize at a seller-friendly trade deadline.