Jack Flaherty Was Almost Traded to Yankees at Deadline Instead of Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers‘ trade for starting pitcher Jack Flaherty has proven to be one of the most pivotal moves the team has made at the MLB trade deadline in recent years. The Dodgers traded Thayron Liranzo and Trey Sweeney to the Detroit Tigers to acquire Flaherty on July 30, adding another pitcher to their starting rotation.
The trade for Flaherty, however, nearly did not happen. The New York Yankees originally had a preliminary trade agreement for Flaherty, but backed out because they were unsure about his health, per Ken Rosenthal on Foul Territory.
Thankfully for the Dodgers, the Yankees backed out. The Dodgers were already in need of another starter when they brought in Flaherty, but that need has grown significantly due to a bulk of injuries to the team’s rotation. Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, River Ryan and Gavin Stone will all miss the 2024 postseason because of injury. The Dodgers were already without Emmett Sheehan, Dustin May, and Tony Gonsolin for the entire season,
Of the five-man rotation to start the 2024 season for the Dodgers, only Yoshinobu Yamamoto is pitching for Los Angeles this postseason. Glasnow and Stone are on the injured list, the Dodgers optioned Bobby Miller to Triple-A, and the Dodgers traded James Paxton to the Boston Red Sox.
Flaherty has provided a second starter for the Dodgers to rely on. The Dodgers are only using three starters throughout the postseason — Yamamoto, Flaherty, and Walker Buehler, but Buehler has yet to pitch consistently for an extended period since coming back from injury.
Flaherty delivered the most dominant performance from the mound for the Dodgers this postseason. In Game 1 of the National League Championship Series on Sunday, Flaherty pitched seven innings and allowed just two hits, two walks, and no earned runs as the Dodgers won 9-0. He pitched perfectly through the first three innings of the game, retiring all nine batters he faced, and was overall perfect in five of seven innings.
The Dodgers and Yankees will now meet in the World Series, and it’ll be Flaherty on the mound for L.A. in Game 1. He’ll have a chance to show the Yankees exactly what they were missing out on starting Friday night.
Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
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