Hot-and-cold Tigers prospect's second Futures Game hints Detroit's patience is paying off

All things considered, the Tigers-Dodgers trade that sent Jack Flaherty to LA in 2024 was a success for everyone involved, even if to different degrees. Detroit still got a couple prospects back in return, made it to the postseason for the first time in a decade without him, and then got him back in the offseason anyway. The Dodgers, of course, won the World Series with him.

Trey Sweeney, one half of the Flaherty trade, definitely looks like a bust. He has never performed to expectations at the major league level and has been injured since spring training. However, there are still hopes that Thayron Liranzo could turn into a productive major leaguer.

Liranzo was the Dodgers' No. 10 prospect in 2024 after hitting .272 with a .962 OPS in Single-A. He was the Tigers' No. 5 prospect in 2025 and maintained the ranking into 2026 despite a down offensive year in Double-A. He hit .206 with a .659 OPS in 88 games between injury and dealing with personal tragedy and slipped out of MLB Pipeline, Baseball America, and Baseball Prospectus' top 100 lists.

This year, he appears to be back on an upswing. Not only has he seemed to recover some of his power, he also just earned his second selection to the All-Star Futures Game as the Tigers' lone representative.

Thayron Liranzo's All-Star Futures Game selection is a good sign for the Tigers

Liranzo last appeared in a Futures Game in 2024 as a Dodgers prospect, just a few weeks before he was shipped off to Detroit in exchange for Flaherty. He was also MVP of the 2024 Arizona Fall League's Fall Stars Game, post-trade.

It's unclear exactly where Liranzo might fit in the Tigers organization long-term if he continues to improve. Dillon Dingler will be behind the dish until further notice, and Josue Briceño will either split his time between backup and first base or move to first base full-time. If Liranzo proves too good to keep behind Dingler forever, the Tigers could have some roster construction problems down the line.

Like Dingler, Liranzo has had a slower development timeline than most top prospects — but Dingler worked out pretty well for the Tigers, to say the least.

If nothing else, Liranzo could be turning himself back into a trade chip the Tigers could really use in a few trade deadlines' time

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