The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the MLB trade deadline with a strong desire to add quality pitching.
They completed a trade for pitcher Michael Kopech and added utilitymen Amed Rosario and Tommy Edman.
But their best move might have come right before the deadline.
The Dodgers pulled off a trade with the Detroit Tigers for right-hander Jack Flaherty, who has rediscovered his form and is having an excellent season so far.
“Breaking: The Tigers are trading Jack Flaherty to the Dodgers, sources tell Jeff Passsan,” ESPN tweeted.
Breaking: The Tigers are trading Jack Flaherty to the Dodgers, sources tell @JeffPassan. pic.twitter.com/ReZkWJJFD4
— ESPN (@espn) July 30, 2024
Flaherty signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Tigers this offseason, so he is, by definition, a rental for L.A.
The Dodgers, however, don’t have any issues with that, sending Thayron Liranzo and Trey Sweeney to the Tigers, as they needed to do something big in their rotation.
They have almost an entire rotation of injured starters, with Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Walker Buehler and Emmet Sheehan all on the shelf.
They were reportedly keen on completing a deal for Tarik Skubal and Garrett Crochet, but their respective current teams considered them building blocks and held on to them.
Instead, they are getting Flaherty, who has overcome shoulder issues from the past few years and has posted a solid 2.95 ERA in 106.2 innings with 133 strikeouts this season.
When the Dodgers are fully healthy, their rotation will be something to behold, and adding Flaherty certainly helps.
The post Dodgers Complete Trade For Top Starting Pitcher appeared first on The Cold Wire.