Detroit Tigers Farm System on the Rise In Power Rankings
The Detroit Tigers goal ahead of the 2024 MLB trade deadline was clear. They wanted to unload as many veterans on expiring contracts as possible, extracting as much value as they could in trades.
They accomplished that goal with flying colors. Veteran catcher Carson Kelly and left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin were traded to the Texas Rangers in separate deals. Mark Canha was traded to the San Francisco Giants ahead of the deadline buzzer.
The biggest trade the Tigers made was sending Jack Flaherty to the Los Angeles Dodgers. After signing a one-year deal in free agency this past offseason, Flaherty turned into arguably the best trade chip in baseball.
Thanks to those deals, the Detroit farm system is moving up in the ranks. The best prospect they received back in their deals was highly-touted catcher Thayron Liranzo from the Dodgers. He is a Tier 2 prospect according to Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report.
Rueter shared that the Tigers were the fifth biggest riser in the post-deadline farm system rankings. They have some elite talent in their farm system, with five Tier 1 prospects and Lirzano slotting in at No. 6 as the top Tier 2 player.
A lot of good depth was added to the system even if the return for Flaherty was considered underwhelming by some analysts. The other piece they received from Los Angeles, infielder Trey Sweeney, didn’t even break their top 10, which speaks volumes about how good this system is.
“Even after graduating Colt Keith and Justyn-Henry Malloy to the big leagues, the Tigers have a no-doubt top-10 system that was already trending up heading into the deadline. Kevin McGonigle and Jaden Hamm have both turned in breakout seasons, while Detroit added top high school bat Bryce Rainer in the first round of the 2024 draft,” Reuter wrote.
Pre-deadline, Detroit was ranked ninth; post-deadline, they have come in at No. 6. They could have been even higher in the rankings had they pulled off a blockbuster centered around ace Tarik Skubal.
Parting ways with Skubal would have added to their Tier 1 collection of players. But, holding onto him was a smart move. One of the toughest things to find is an ace to anchor your staff and they have one in Skubal, who is in the running for the Cy Young award in 2024.
KENNETH TEAPE
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.