Dodgers' trade deadline blockbuster looking even better after prospect's struggles

After he was traded to the Dodgers at the 2024 trade deadline, Jack Flaherty wasn't quite as dominant as he was with the Tigers for the first half of the season (and was even more of a liability in the postseason), but the Dodgers got what they needed from him: a serviceable arm in an otherwise crumbling rotation.

Flaherty was always going to be a rental. He was ineligible to receive the qualifying offer, and even before they added Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki in the offseason, the Dodgers had pitching reinforcements incoming to pack the 2025 rotation.

They only gave up two prospects for Flaherty, which at first seemed like a loss for the Tigers, who probably could've gotten more and weren't lined up for a playoff spot by the deadline. Thayron Liranzo and Trey Sweeney were both shipped off to Detroit, and both quickly set to work to prove that the Tigers had actually won the trade.

Sweeney was almost immediately called up to the majors as Javy Báez went onto the IL with a hip issue that eventually necessitated surgery, and Liranzo exploded in High-A, batting .315 with a 1.032 OPS for the West Michigan Whitecaps.

However, Liranzo has experienced a troubling dip this year since being promoted to Double-A. He's batting .194 with a .690 OPS through 29 games, and he dropped from MLB's No. 73 overall prospect to No. 86.

Dodgers' Jack Flaherty trade piece Thayron Liranzo took a nosedive in new MLB Pipeline rankings

Of course, the Tigers also ended up getting Flaherty back this offseason and made a postseason run without him, but the jury's still out on whether or not that was a move that will actually pay off for Detroit, as he has a 6.00 ERA in May.

Liranzo is still No. 5 in the Tigers pipeline, which is easily one of the best in baseball. However, the dip in his power at Double-A is the most troubling part of this downward trend; he has just four homers and five doubles and is slugging .359. Things have gotten better in his last 10 games (.250/.341/.444), but evaluators have clearly lost some faith in him.

The Dodgers were always going to let Flaherty go after the end fo the season, and although they gave up a guy who's turned into a solid major leaguer in Sweeney, Liranzo's dip and the fact that they only had to part with two prospects for a guy who had a sub-3.00 ERA at the trade deadline makes it look like a pretty good deal for LA.