MLB trade grades: Dodgers win Jack Flaherty sweepstakes, upgrade rotation

Once the calendar turned over to July, the Jack Flaherty trade speculation began. Everybody knew that he would be traded. Nobody knew exactly where he would land though. Flaherty has shown ace level stuff this year as he's put together his best season in a half decade.

As the clock ticked closer to the 6:00 PM trade deadline, the Detroit Tigers finally found their match for the Flaherty deal. Much to the shock of nobody, the Los Angeles Dodgers are the team that won the sweepstakes for the best-starting pitcher that was dealt at the deadline, which was first reported by ESPN's Jeff Passan. Garrett Crochet, Tarik Skubal and Blake Snell all stayed with their current clubs, leaving Flaherty as the ace of the deadline.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, and join the discord to get the inside scoop as we near the July 30 MLB trade deadline.

MLB trade grades: Dodgers acquire ace of the trade deadline with minutes remaining

Here's the full trade that sends Flaherty across the country to the Dodgers, as first reported by FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray:

Flaherty, 28, sits on an expiring contract this season. That's the only reason that he didn't net a haul in the realm of what Trevor Rogers and Tanner Scott did for the Marlins. The right hander currently has a 2.8 WAR, 2.95 ERA and a sub-1.00 WHIP. He has looked like an ace more often than not and he's being sent to the Dodgers to replace their injured starting pitchers.

To note, Flaherty was traded at the deadline last season and fell apart in the second half for the Baltimore Orioles.

Thayron Liranzo, 21, is slashing .220/.344/.356 with seven home runs and 15 doubles at High-A this season. He's a switch hitting catcher/first baseman that has true power potential if he can ever put all the pieces together. He has a strong arm and a solid frame that leave him to be a very projectable player.

Trey Sweeney, 24, is on the older side of being considered a prospect, but he's also quite developed. The 6-foot 3 shortstop is slashing .254/.334/.427 at the Triple-A level this year. He has 38 extra-base hits and 16 stolen bases on the campaign. Overall, he's a solid prospect with average to above-average traits across the board.

The Dodgers are able to keep pace with the other top teams across the league by acquiring a massive pitching upgrade to slot into the starting rotation. They lose a top ten prospect and a promising young shortstop, but overall, they got a lot better with this deal.

Dodgers trade grade: A-
Tigers trade grade: C+