It was impossible leading up to the Major League Baseball trade deadline to imagine the Los Angeles Dodgers not adding a high-end starting pitcher.
Before the July 30 deadline, the Dodgers were involved in rumors with virtually every quality starter on the market. They eventually landed one when they dealt a pair of prospects to the Detroit Tigers for right-hander Jack Flaherty.
The deal made a ton of sense for LA and gave them the top-end starting pitcher they desperately needed. It also helped round out their flurry of deadline acquisitions. It also nearly didn't happen.
According to Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic, the New York Yankees had an agreement in place to snag Flaherty from the Tigers. That agreement fell apart once the Yankees got an opportunity to review Flaherty's medical records.
The 28-year-old is dealing with a back injury that required a pair of injections in June. It also forced him to miss his July 3 start for Detroit. That was enough to scare the Yankees off of bolstering their rotation.
LA didn't have the same concerns and pulled the trigger on a deal that solidified their very active trade deadline.
Back injuries are always troublesome, particularly for a club with its sites set on October. However, Flaherty has been excellent since missing his start in early July. He went 17.2 innings over his next three outings, allowing eight hits and three earned runs with five walks and 18 strikeouts. Opponents batted just .131 against him with a paltry .197 on-base percentage over that stretch.
That's the pitcher the Dodgers are banking on acquiring. Flaherty's season numbers are excellent and more signs than not point to him helping LA's pitching staff. That potential reward makes the risk worth taking.
More MLB: Yankees tried to convince Cardinals to push Dodgers out of blockbuster trade
