Los Angeles Dodgers prospects Thayron Liranzo and Trey Sweeney were traded to the Detroit Tigers for Jack Flaherty, who was the best starting pitcher moved at the 2024 deadline.
Liranzo had been part of an impressive collection of Dodgers catching prospects that still consists of Diego Cartaya, Dalton Rushing and Yeiner Fernandez. Liranzo joined the organization when he signed as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in January 2021.
He played for the Dodgers’ Dominican Summer League affiliate that year and joined their Arizona Complex League team in 2022. Liranzo then spent all of last year with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga and earned a promotion to High-A Great Lakes at the start of the 2024 Minor League season.
Liranzo hit .220/.344/.356 with 15 doubles, seven home runs and 30 RBI over 74 games with the Loons. He was among two Dodgers prospects named to the 2024 Futures Game at Globe Life Field, and like Jeral Perez, has now been traded by the organization.
Sweeney’s time as a Dodgers prospect comes to an end after being acquired from the New York Yankees last December in exchange for Victor González and Jorbit Vivas.
Sweeney was with Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he batted .254/.334/.427 with 22 doubles, three triples, 13 home runs and 62 RBI in 96 games.
Like at the catcher position, the Dodgers have several shortstop prospects still in the pipeline even after their trade with the Tigers.
The group includes Joendry Vargas, Alex Freeland, Emil Morales and potentially Noah Miller, who spends time at second base as well.
The Yankees selected Sweeney with the 20th overall pick in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft.
Dodgers trade analysis: Jack Flaherty
By trading for Flaherty the Dodgers added a strong starter to a rotation that’s been ravaged by injuries and inconsistent performances.
Flaherty went 7-5 with a 2.95 ERA, 3.10 FIP and 0.96 WHIP in 18 starts for the Tigers this season. He additionally had a 32% strikeout rate that is on track to be the best of his career.
Flaherty was scheduled to start Monday but the Tigers scratched him from the outing in anticipation of a likely trade.
He’ll either help fortify a Dodgers rotation that may be without Yoshinobu Yamamoto if he is not able to return from a right rotator cuff strain, or further deepen the group heading into the postseason.
The trade is also a homecoming for Flaherty, who is a Burbank, Calif., native and attended Harvard-Westlake High School.
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