Tigers must use Baseball America prospect rankings to their advantage for trades

The Detroit Tigers began to reap the benefits of their draft-and-develop approach to roster building last season when an injection of youth sparked a late-season run that sent them all the way to the ALDS.

Now, the future is looking especially bright for the Tigers, who have five prospects on the preseason top 100 rankings released by Baseball America Wednesday (subscription required): right-handed pitcher Jackson Jobe (No. 3), center fielder Max Clark (No. 22), shortstop Kevin McGonigle (No. 23), shortstop Bryce Rainer (No. 60) and catcher Thayron Liranzo (No. 69).

Compared to last year's preseason rankings, Jobe climbed 17 spots, from No. 20 to No. 3; Clark fell three spots, from No. 19 to No. 22. Meanwhile, McGonigle, Rainer and Liranzo were unranked.

Tigers better use Baseball America prospect rankings to their advantage at trade deadline

The Tigers haven't made a ton of noise in free agency this offseason, signing a pair of veterans (pitcher Alex Cobb and second baseman Gleyber Torres) to one-year contracts. Where they can make some noise – if they choose to embrace it – is at the trade deadline (or during spring training if teams decide to be more amenable to trade talks).

The 2025 MLB Trade deadline is more than seven months away, but it's never too early to start speculating about what approach teams will take – especially a team like the Tigers that's more likely to weaponize their assets on the trade market than improve their roster via free agency.

Some of the Tigers' prospects in Baseball America's top 100 should be considered untouchable in a potential trade. Jobe and Clark in particular have the potential to be franchise cornerstones around whom the Tigers can build a competitive roster for the future.

Regardless, Detroit's stacked farm system gives the club valuable depth at a number of positions. That depth puts the Tigers in a prime position to buy if they are just a piece or two away from contending for a World Series title at the 2025 trade deadline. If they aren't willing to part with their current Major League talent, any of their highly-ranked prospects would likely fetch them a valuable return on the trade market that could help them in the immediate future.

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