Home Sports MLB trade deadline: Dodgers acquire starting pitcher Jack Flaherty from Tigers in last-minute deal

MLB trade deadline: Dodgers acquire starting pitcher Jack Flaherty from Tigers in last-minute deal

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CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 24: Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty (9) delivers a pitch to the plate during the first inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Guardians on July 24, 2024 at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired starting pitcher Jack Flaherty from the Detroit Tigers, Yahoo Sports’ Russell Dorsey confirmed, in the final minutes before the MLB trade deadline hit at 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

The right-hander, who signed a one-year contract with Detroit in December, will now travel to Los Angeles to reinforce the Dodgers’ rotation.

The Dodgers also signed center fielder Kevin Kiermaier from the Toronto Blue Jays and sent relief pitcher Ryan Yarbrough in return, according to multiple reports. Kiermaier, a four-time Gold Glove winner, signed with the Blue Jays in 2023 after 10 seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Flaherty has been a key part of Detroit’s rotation this year, with 133 strikeouts in just over 106 innings. He has a 2.95 ERA so far this season.

The 28-year-old pitcher spent seven seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals before signing with the Tigers.

The Dodgers’ acquisitions come at a time when sensational Shohei Ohtani remains sidelined on the pitching front after undergoing Tommy John surgery last fall. The 30-year-old pitcher and designated hitter signed a record-breaking contract with Los Angeles last December but deferred much of the deal so the Dodgers could continue to acquire talent and build a team with championship potential.

Ohtani had remained a dominant hitter (he’s already hit 30 homers this season), but because he can’t pitch alongside other Dodgers starters who have dealt with injuries, the team needed a boost to the starting rotation. Flaherty provides just that.

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