The next few weeks could be exciting ones for the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers are in the middle of the American League pennant race and celebrities from J.K. Simmons, John C. Reilly and Jack White have been showing up to the ballpark. Detroit is a virtual lock to return to the postseason and they’re expected to be aggressive buyers ahead of this month’s trade deadline.
It brings the opportunity to have some new faces show up in the Motor City, but there’s a catch. In order to land a right-handed bat or some help on the mound, they’ll have to dive into their farm system. The good news is that the No. 1 organization in baseball should be able to afford parting with a prospect or two to make the current team better and there’s a prospect that makes sense as the Tigers make a deal.
Tigers Prospect Thayron Liranzo Could Be Good as Gone Ahead of MLB Trade Deadline
The Tigers executed their trade deadline plan perfectly one year ago when they sent Jack Flaherty to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The deal saw Trey Sweeney come to Detroit and become its everyday shortstop down the stretch but it also carried some potential in catcher/first baseman Thayron Liranzo.
An international signing by the Dodgers, Liranzo began playing professional ball in 2017 and broke out as a 19-year-old in A-ball, hitting .272/.400/.562 with 24 home runs and 70 RBI. His age-20 season got off to a tough start as he was promoted to High-A Great Lakes to begin the year but he caught fire after being traded to the Tigers, hitting .315/.470/.562 with five homers and 20 RBI in 26 games for West Michigan.
A pair of homers and a 1.158 OPS during the Arizona Fall League bolstered Liranzo’s stock and helped him become a consensus top-100 prospect. But he once again got off to a slow start at Double-A Erie, hitting .232/.358/.404 with nine bombs and 32 RBI.
The Tigers could ride the wave, hope Liranzo gets hot and makes his way to the majors soon. But it already seems like they’ve blocked his path. Spencer Torkelson is having a career season at first base for Detroit and could be part of its long-term plans. The Tigers are also stacked at catcher with Dillon Dingler breaking out and fellow catcher/first base prospect Josue Briceño in the pipeline.
Liranzo’s status also makes him eligible for the Rule 5 draft next winter, meaning now could be the time to move him. It’s unknown whether Liranzo will be able to stick at catcher but some potential trade partners could use his bat at first base.
The Arizona Diamondbacks could use help if they decide to sell pending free agent Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez could require a top-100 prospect like Liiranzo to upgrade the hot corner for the Tigers. The Pittsburgh Pirates could use some offense in exchange for third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes or reliever David Bednar and the Colorado Rockies basically need everything and could be looking to move reliever Jake Bird or corner infielder Ryan McMahon.
No matter what they do, the Tigers have to give up something to get something at the deadline and Liranzo feels like the prospect most likely to wind up on the chopping block.