With less than two days remaining until the MLB trade deadline, the Detroit Tigers have arguably the most-coveted starting pitcher not named Tarik Skubal or Garrett Crochet, in Jack Flaherty.
The right-hander has been the subject of recent trade speculation amid a likelihood the Tigers do not trade Skubal, and the Chicago White Sox retain Crochet as well.
According to Jack Harris of the L.A. Times, the Dodgers are among the teams interested in acquiring Flaherty:
Jack Flaherty of the Detroit Tigers is another player on the Dodgers’ radar, and perhaps the only other starting pitcher the team would make an aggressive play for (assuming, as many industry observers believe, the Tigers don’t move their best pitcher, Cy Young front-runner Tarik Skubal, and the San Francisco Giants don’t entertain sending a two-time Cy Young winner, Blake Snell, to a division rival).
Throughout the Dodgers’ search for a starting pitcher the team has prioritized finding impact rather than depth for their rotation.
Flaherty has the profile of a former heralded prospect and is in the midst of a strong season with the Tigers. His next start is scheduled to be Monday against the Cleveland Guardians.
The right-hander is 7-5 with a 2.95 ERA, 3.10 FIP and 0.96 WHIP in 18 starts this year. Flaherty additionally has a 32% strikeout rate that is on track to be the best of his career.
In addition to the Dodgers, the Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies are among the teams that have been connected to Flaherty as well.
The St. Louis Cardinals traded Flaherty to the Orioles last year, but he struggled mightily and was demoted to a bullpen role.
How Jack Flaherty would fit in Dodgers rotation
If the Dodgers were to trade for Flaherty, a Burbank, Calif., native, he would provide them with some insurance should Bobby Miller or Walker Buehler not return to form this season.
Flaherty’s boost to the Dodgers rotation would further be magnified in the event Yoshinobu Yamamoto returns from a right rotator cuff strain as that would deepen the group. And in the event Yamamoto can’t return or doesn’t pitch to his pre-injury level, Flaherty could be key in mitigating that.
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