The Dodgers And Tigers Both Won Their Trade At Last Season’s Deadline

Who won last season’s trade deadline deal between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Detroit Tigers? If you will recall, the Tigers decided to (prematurely) throw in the towel on the season, and traded away a handful of players, including right-handed pitcher Jack Flaherty. The Dodgers, always needing to bolster their pitching staff for a long October run, believed they could help the hometown kid regain his form and be an asset down the stretch.

The Dodgers

On its face, the answer to the above query is unquestionably the Dodgers, as Flaherty was a key part of their ultimate World Series championship team. In ten regular season starts, he went 7-3 with a 3.58 ERA, a 4.16 FIP, and a 1.28 WHIP. With injuries piling up, Flaherty became the Dodgers’ Game 1 starter for both the NLCS against the Mets and the World Series against the Yankees. He did not disappoint. Against the New York team from Queens, he threw an absolute gem, going seven innings, allowing two hits and no runs. Against the New York team from the Bronx, he went 5-1/3, allowing five hits and two earned runs while striking out six. He kept the game close enough to allow for Freddie Freeman’s heroics in the bottom of the ninth inning. Flaherty’s Game 5 performances in both of those series need not be discussed* here.

_{*Combined, he went 4-1/3 innings, gave up 12 hits and 12 earned runs; he walked five against only one strike out and surrendered three home runs.}

It is safe to say that Los Angeles does not hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy or hold a parade without Jack Flaherty.

But what about the Tigers?

The Tigers

Detroit signed Flaherty prior to the 2024 season to a one-year, $14 million deal. The idea was that he would either help them get into contention, or would be a valuable trade asset come July. Little did they know that trading him may have propelled them into contention. By off-loading the pitcher at the deadline, Detroit saved nearly $5 million, all of which the Dodgers absorbed. This provided the club with some savings they could use for the 2025 season.

Savings aside, the Tigers received two great prospects in return for Flaherty: shortstop Trey Sweeney and catcher Thayron Liranzo, both of whom are under team control for six years.

Trey Sweeney

Shortly after joining the club, Sweeney took over as the everyday shortstop, and while he only slashed .218/.269 /.373, he played solid defense and gave the Tigers a glimpse of the future when Javy Báez is no longer on the roster/payroll. Sweeney was originally drafted in the first round (20^th overall) by the Yankees in the 2021. New York gave him $3 million, and he steadily moved up their system until he was traded to Los Angeles in late 2023. He made it as far as Triple-A with the Dodgers, before he was moved to Detroit in the Flaherty deal.

As of today, FanGraphs’ depth chart predictions has Sweeney listed at the Tigers’ shortstop. He is currently ranked as the team’s #8 prospect, with a 45 future value (on the 20-80 scale).

Thayron Liranzo

Liranzo actually is the Tigers’ #3 prospect according to FanGraphs (#5 at MLB Pipeline). In May of last year, at High-A Great Lakes, the catcher gave an indication of what he is capable of, as he had a .867 OPS with 21 walks and only 22 strikeouts. For the year, he slashed .244/.378/.408. Scott Harris, Detroit’s president of baseball operations, told MLB.com, “We added a switch-hitting catcher who has an advanced approach and hits the ball really, really hard and has a chance to project into a frontline catcher for us moving forward.” The Tigers intend to work on his defense to see if he can stick behind the plate long-term. If he cannot, the club sees him moving to first base to utilize his offensive skills as he matures.

Jack Flaherty

The only reason there is a question about who won last season’s trade is that come Opening Day, Jack Flaherty will once again don a Tigers uniform. Once he became a free agent, Detroit signed him to a two-year, $35 million deal, which will pay him $25 million in 2025. Flaherty can opt-out of the second year, which is pegged at $10 million, but can escalate to $20 million if he makes 15 starts. Said differently, with their savings from last season’s trade, the Tigers got Flaherty for roughly $20 million this year, and added two top-five prospects to the organization. And one of those players will most likely start the season as the team’s primary shortstop.

So, who won the trade? Who cares? In the end, both teams got exactly what they needed. The Dodgers needed another pitcher to secure a non-Covid-bubble ring, and the Tigers needed to improve their already stout farm system, taking it from #5/6 last season according to MLB.com all the way to #1. For full transparency, Keith Law at The Athletic has them at #7, but also stated that “this has to be the best Tigers system I’ve ever written up.”

There is nothing better in sports than the rarely seen win-win!