The Los Angeles Dodgers waited until almost the last minute, but they came through with the needed acquisition of a starting pitcher.
Right before 6PM ET, it was announced that the Dodgers had traded for Jack Flaherty of the Detroit Tigers. Prospects C/1B Thayron Liranzo and SS Trey Sweeney will be heading to the Motor City. Sweeney was acquired from the New York Yankees trade for Victor Gonzalez.
Flaherty is 7-5 on the season, with a 2.95 ERA, and should help stabilize the very injured starting rotation. He joins Tyler Glasnow and Clayton Kershaw, in addition to the rookies Gavin Stone, Justin Wrobleski and River Ryan.
The Dodgers will have to decide which of those last two will be sent back down to the minors, but both have performed very well being thrust on to the rotation before they were probably ready.
In the other move on Tuesday, the Dodgers traded relief pitcher Ryan Yarbrough to the Toronto Blue Jays for outfielder Kevin Kiermaier. Both players had been DFA’d by their respective teams earlier in the week.
Brent Honeywell has pretty much taken the slot that Yarbrough would be occupying. Kiermaier, although he is at the end of his playing days (he announced he would retire at the end of the season) still has good defense and will help solidify the outfield.
The Dodgers now start a two game series in San Diego, who sit 6.5 back of the Dodgers for the division lead. The Padres made a flurry of trades in the last few days, and now have one of the best bullpens in the majors. Glasnow and Kershaw will pitch for the Dodgers, facing off against Matt Waldron and Dylan Cease, fresh off his no-hitter.
Overall, the Dodgers acquired five players at the deadline, including Amed Rosario whom they picked up yesterday, for a DFA’d player, one guy on the 26-man roster, and prospects, with only one in the top 15. The team is solidified around the margins while waiting for those players that are injured to return.
Freddie Freeman has yet to return to the team after his son Maximus was hospitalized last week. Our thoughts go out the Freeman family for a quick recovery for their three year old.