The Dodgers made a late play for one of the top pitchers on the market.
Los Angeles acquired starter Jack Flaherty from the Tigers, the teams confirmed.
Catcher/first baseman Thayron Liranzo and shortstop Trey Sweeney went to Detroit in the trade.
Flaherty, 28, was having a big bounce-back season with the Tigers, pitching to a 2.95 ERA with 133 strikeouts in 106 2/3 innings.
“You look at the guys that were moved throughout baseball, he’s pretty much at the top of the food chain as far as starters,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Tuesday after the deal went down. “For what was out there, we did a great job.”
The Yankees, meanwhile, had a “preliminary” deal in place to acquire the hurler, but backed out over a back issue, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported.
He signed a one-year, $14 million contract with Detroit during the offseason after he recorded a 4.99 ERA last year with the Cardinals and Orioles.
Flaherty struggled mightily when St. Louis traded him to Baltimore at last season’s deadline, recording a 6.75 ERA in nine appearances (seven starts).
His best season came in 2019 with the Cardinals, when he had a 2.75 ERA with 231 strikeouts in 196 1/3 innings.
The Dodgers, who had battled injuries all season to their starting rotation, added the most coveted starter at this year’s deadline.
For that, their front office is very pleased.
“We had a ton of conversations with a lot of teams over this last week,” general manager Brandon Gomes said, per MLB.com. “We felt like getting an impact starter was a very high priority for us, and Jack is definitely that.
“His command, his stuff, the swing-and-miss, we feel like that’s a real power option come October, so he fits into this rotation really well.”