Dodgers acquire top starter Jack Flaherty and 4-time Gold Glove Award winner Kevin Kiermaier

By AP News Published Jul 30, 2024 06:15 pm

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SAN DIEGO (AP) — The NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers acquired right-hander Jack Flaherty from the Detroit Tigers just before the trade deadline Tuesday to bolster their rotation and also obtained four-time Gold Glove center fielder Kevin Kiermaier from the Toronto Blue Jays.

The 28-year-old Flaherty, who is from the Los Angeles area, was 7-5 with a 2.95 ERA in his first season with the Tigers. He had 133 strikeouts with a 0.96 WHIP and .211 batting average against.

The Dodgers needed a top starter because Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler are on the injured list. Clayton Kershaw made his season debut last week after offseason shoulder surgery and is scheduled to start Wednesday night against San Diego’s Dylan Cease, who threw his first career no-hitter last week against Washington.

“I’m really excited about what we did,” manager Dave Roberts said.

Roberts said Flaherty “is a guy that’s been wanting to be a Dodger, being from the (San Fernando) Valley. For so long he’s wanted to be a Dodger. So to get that done, I’m really excited.

“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,” Roberts said. “For what was out there, we did a great job.”

Flaherty was scratched from his scheduled start against Baltimore on Monday night. Roberts said Flaherty will likely make his first start for the Dodgers during a weekend series at Oakland.

Flaherty was teammates with Lucas Giolito and Max Fried at Harvard-Westlake, a prestigious prep school in Los Angeles, and was a first-round draft pick of the Cardinals in 2014. He played with the Cardinals for 6 1/2 seasons ad was traded to Baltimore last summer.

Detrout received minor league catcher Thayron Liranzo and infielder Trey Sweeney.

Kiermaier, 34, was hitting .195 with four homers and 18 RBIs in 81 games for the Blue Jays. But the Dodgers value him for his defensive play. He’s been in the big leagues for parts of 12 seasons with Tampa Bay and Toronto. He plans to retire at the end of the season.

“I know KK is a lock-down defender,” Roberts said.

The Blue Jays got left-hander Ryan Yarbrough, who was designated for assignment on Monday by the Dodgers after they acquired infielder/outfielder Amed Rosario.

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