Even though the Detroit Tigers made the playoffs and advanced past the Wild Card round, their historic collapse has shown that this isn’t quite the deep and flawless team that it appeared to be for much of the 2025 season. Heading into the offseason, a lot of needs will need to be addressed. The Tigers must address their infield and find a steady center fielder, a couple of starting pitchers, and a few bullpen arms. Not to mention … a bat. A real bat.
Detroit won’t spend lavishly enough in free agency to fill all of those holes; therefore, they’ll have to turn to the trade market. Thankfully, they’re blessed with a deep and talented farm system. The system’s headliners, baseball’s No. 2 overall prospect Kevin McGonigle and No. 9 overall prospect Max Clark, won’t be on the table. Beyond those two, however, everyone else is more or less fair game.
With that said, some should be higher priorities to ship out than others, and two should be held onto unless a laughably lopsided deal comes along.
The Tigers should look to trade these 3 prospects to improve the big league club
Second baseman Hao-Yu Lee
Acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies in the Michael Lorenzen trade back in 2023, Hao-Yu Lee has flashed solid tools while playing shortstop, second base, and third base throughout his minor league career. Despite that varied experience, his long-term home appears to be at second base once he reaches the majors.
Currently ranked No. 6 on Detroit’s Top-30 prospect list by MLB.com, Lee certainly has potential. However, there are two issues with the 22-year-old Taiwanese product. First, until this year, Lee has struggled to stay healthy for much of his minor league career. Second, his performance took a dive in his first taste of Triple-A action.
After posting a 143 wRC+ last season at Double-A Erie, Lee spent his entire 2025 campaign in Toledo. While “struggle” might be a strong word, his .243/.342/.406 line and 104 wRC+ was the worst full-season showing of his young career. A repeat poor performance, therefore, could tank his value.
At the same time, the Tigers’ middle infield depth is stacked. 23-year-old Max Anderson is at the same developmental point as Lee and might quickly usurp him in the rankings. Other, younger options like 20-year-olds Bryce Rainer and Franyerber Montilla, as well as 18-year-old Jordan Yost, are ranked inside the Tigers’ Top-12, to say nothing of Kevin McGonigle’s presence.
Simply put, Lee appears to be the most expendable.
Catcher Thayron Liranzo
Thayron Liranzo, not Trey Sweeney, was the true headliner in the return package the Tigers got for Jack Flaherty last season. Like Hao-Yu Lee, he also finds himself in a bit of a positional squeeze.
Liranzo, 22, is competing with Josue Briceño, 21, for the same spot in the catching pecking order. Both players have similar profiles as both are bigger catchers who are offense-forward. Both also have first base experience, which may ultimately end up being their home.
The difference between them has to do with both their starting points and their 2025 accomplishments. Briceño was a highly-regarded international free agent signing out of Venezuela, snagging an $800,000 signing bonus in 2022. Liranzo, on the other hand, was mostly an afterthought, signing for just $30,000 in January of 2021.
Slightly older, Liranzo got the opportunity to start his year at Double-A Erie, playing 88 games and slashing .206/.308/.351 with a 97 wRC+. Most concerning was his strikeout rate jumping from 23.8% at High-A in both the Dodgers’ and Tigers’ systems last year, to an alarming 31.7% this year. It’s also worth noting that while Liranzo set the world on fire with a .315/.470/.562 line in 26 games after coming over in the trade, he hit a much more pedestrian .220/.344/.356 line in 74 games with the Dodgers.
Briceño started 2025 at High-A West Michigan and tore the cover off the ball with 15 homers and a .296/.422/.602 line that included a 16.8% walk rate compared to just a 16.4% strikeout rate in 55 games. That would earn him a promotion to Erie, where he’d spend his final 45 games. His numbers also took a hit with a .232/.335/.381 line, but he kept the strikeouts in check at 23.7%.
Dillon Dingler is under team control through 2030, and he’s proven to be an all-around contributor. That leaves the two youngsters likely competing for the chance to be Spencer Torkelson’s heir at first base. The smart money is on Briceño continuing to ascend, while Liranzo, who is Detroit’s No. 5 prospect, seems likely to stall. Therefore, the Tigers need to trade him before that happens.
Pitcher Jaden Hamm
Currently the Tigers’ 10th-ranked prospect and the top arm in the system, Jaden Hamm was someone that many thought would be a breakout star in 2025. The 2023 fifth-round pick became a dominant force in the low minors thanks to an increased emphasis on elevating his fastball in the zone.
So why is he on the must-trade list? Well, 2025 didn’t go exactly as planned for Hamm. The 23-year-old was dominant at West Michigan last year with a 2.64 ERA in 99 innings, but his ascension to Double-A Erie saw that magic wear off.
Hamm posted a 4.88 ERA over 83 innings for the Sea Wolves. He’d miss almost two months with an undisclosed injury and struggled to maintain his already less-than-elite velocity at the more advanced level. Whether or not that dip in velocity was a result of the injury is unclear.
What is clear is that, despite a promising four-pitch repertoire, there are concerns as to whether or not Hamm can stick as a starter, especially if his velocity doesn’t hold up with a starter’s workload. That’s led some to ponder whether or not his future home is in the bullpen. The Tigers would be wise to deal him before it becomes a certainty that he can’t cut it as a starter in order to extract maximum value.
The Tigers can’t afford to trade these 2 prospects before 2026
Infielder Max Anderson
Anderson was seen as one of Detroit’s most important prospects to watch heading into Arizona Fall League action … and he’s come through. Playing both second and third base, the Tigers will look to the fall league action to find Anderson’s permanent defensive home.
The 2023 second-round pick out of the University of Nebraska did a better job this year of tapping into his power, hitting more balls in the air and fewer balls on the ground in 2025. In total, he clubbed 19 homers, 31 doubles, and two triples between his time in Erie and Toledo.
Detroit will have a lot of work to do, with third base being a trouble spot all season long and second base potentially becoming a need as well with Gleyber Torres hitting free agency. With a host of other needs, there’s a chance that the Tigers won’t be able to fill them all, and Anderson could serve as a potential answer at one of these two infield spots as early as Opening Day.
Even if he doesn’t break camp as a member of the Opening Day roster next year, there’s a good chance he’ll force his way up at some point in 2026, and maybe be a factor once he does. Because of his proximity to a big league roster spot at a position where Detroit doesn’t have a ton of other answers, Anderson should be held closely this offseason.
Outfielder Cris Rodriguez
If Anderson is untouchable because of his proximity to the majors, then outfielder Cris Rodriguez lands on the list for the exact opposite reason. Still just 17 years old, the Dominican-born Rodriguez ranked fourth in the 2025 international free agent class thanks to his incredible potential.
Already 6-foot-3, the teenager signed for just under $3.2 million back in January. His massive power and athleticism for his size have drawn comparisons that range from Eloy Jimenez to Aaron Judge. While Jimenez’s inclusion as a potential outcome might seem like a slight, it’s important to remember that the former Chicago White Sox outfielder crushed 31 homers as a 22-year-old rookie back in 2019 before the wheels fell off.
Right now, Rodriguez has the speed to handle center, but should his foot speed take a hit as his body matures, he has more than enough arm strength to be a plus defender in right field. The main draw, however, is Rodriguez’s light tower power, which gives him massive offensive upside should he be able to consistently hit off-speed pitches as he advances through the system.
So far, so good. Rodriguez tore up the Dominican Summer League batting .308/.340/.564 with 10 homers over 188 plate appearances. He has the potential to be a future superstar, and therefore should be off the table in any offseason trade talks.
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