SAN DIEGO — The Los Angeles Dodgers approached this year's trade deadline wanting to add a top-tier starting pitcher, and with less than 20 minutes to go, they secured arguably the best one available, acquiring Jack Flaherty from the Detroit Tigers.
The Flaherty acquisition capped another frenetic deadline for the NL West-leading Dodgers, who also injected an injury-plagued roster with two super-utility players (Amed Rosario and Tommy Edman), a center fielder (Kevin Kiermaier) and a hard-throwing reliever (Michael Kopech). But the star, of course, is Flaherty, who has turned around a once-promising career with a dominant first four months of the season and drawn heavy interest from a host of teams over the past two weeks.
In return, the Dodgers gave up minor league catcher Thayron Liranzo (the third-highest-rated catcher in their system according to MLB.com, after Dalton Rushing and Diego Cartaya) and infielder Trey Sweeney, a 24-year-old shortstop at Triple-A.
“Getting an impact starter was a very high priority for us, and Jack definitely is that,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said. “His control, his stuff, his off-the-ball swing — we think he's a real power option for October.”
Flaherty is expected to join the Dodgers in San Diego on Wednesday and make his first start sometime over the weekend during a road series against the Oakland Athletics.
He’ll slide into a decorated rotation that’s also rife with uncertainty. Tyler Glasnow has pitched like an ace, but he’ll soon surpass his previous career innings record. Clayton Kershaw is a surefire Hall of Famer, but he’s also a 36-year-old coming off shoulder surgery. Walker Buehler and Bobby Miller will be back relatively soon, but both have struggled of late. And Yoshinobu Yamamoto is dealing with a rotator cuff strain, with no idea when — or potentially if — he might return.
Flaherty brings with him some much-needed uncertainty thanks to a resurgent season. Flaherty, now 28, was one of the game’s most dominant starting pitchers when he was with the St. Louis Cardinals in his early 20s from 2018 to 2019. He then struggled with shoulder issues and posted a 4.42 ERA from 2020 to 2023, but he’s been dominant since signing a one-year, $14 million deal with the Tigers last December. Through 18 starts, Flaherty posted a 2.95 ERA and 0.96 WHIP, striking out 133 batters and walking 19 in 106⅔ innings.
“It's exciting,” said Edman, a former teammate of Flaherty's on the Cardinals, about reuniting with him with the Dodgers. “He's a really fun guy to play with, a great competitor. I know Los Angeles is going to love him. It'll be fun to see him again. He pitched against the Cardinals earlier this year and I was watching the game and he struck out 13 guys. It looks pretty bad right now.”
Edman has yet to play this season. He was expected to be ready for Opening Day despite undergoing wrist surgery in October, but it wasn’t until June that he finally began preparing to return. Then he sprained his ankle, extending his absence for at least another month. Edman, a 29-year-old signed through next season, has played in eight rehab games, all as a designated hitter, and will be re-evaluated in the coming days to see when he can get on the field.
“It shouldn't take long,” Edman said.
Where he will play when he returns, however, is an open question.
Edman primarily plays up the middle, at shortstop, second base and center field. Rosario, a pending free agent who hit .307/.331/.417 with the Rays, is a lifelong shortstop who has made at least 10 starts at three other positions this season: second base, right field and third base. Kiermaier, a four-time Gold Glove winner who has an OPS of just .546 this season, is primarily a center fielder.
Their presence is needed given injuries to third baseman Max Muncy (oblique strain), infielder Miguel Rojas (forearm strain), super-utility player Chris Taylor (groin strain) and right fielder-turned-middle infielder Mookie Betts (left hand fracture). But there's also uncertainty about where players will settle as the Dodgers get back on track, particularly when it comes to Betts, who has spent most of this season at shortstop.
Betts could return to shortstop, which might be even more likely given the hot streak of second baseman Gavin Lux. He could play second base, allowing Rojas or Edman to fill in at shortstop. He could return to right field, strengthening the outfield. Or he could switch spots.
At this point, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, returning to shortstop is Betts' “intention.”
“I think if he had his choice, he would stay in one position and have a consistent vision for the role,” Roberts said. “But Mookie has told me time and time again that he's willing to do whatever it takes to make us the best team. I just don't have that clarity right now and I haven't had that conversation yet.”
For now, the Dodgers will welcome the added depth and versatility and figure out the rest later.
“We've had a lot more injuries than we expected,” Gomes said. “We talked about looking for real impact moves, and as we got closer, both impact moves and depth moves were needed.”
