Five Detroit Tigers Top Prospects to Watch at MLB Trade Deadline

The Detroit Tigers are in one of the best spots of any franchise going into the MLB trade deadline on July 31.

The Tigers have one of the best records in Major League Baseball. Detroit has perhaps the best pitcher in the game in Tarik Skubal. The Tigers now have three starters in the All-Star Game — Gleyber Torres, Riley Greene and Javier Baez. Skubal should follow in their footsteps when the reserves are announced on Sunday.

Detroit is lined up to make its first serious push for a World Series in more than a decade. To get the final pieces the Tigers need, they may have to sacrifice some prospects from one of the best farm systems in baseball.

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Which ones Detroit parts with will shed light on how serious they are about making it to the fall classic.

Here are five prospects the Tigers could include in trades to make the team better for a playoff push. For the purposes of this piece, only prospects with no MLB service time were considered.

SS Kevin McGonigle

McGonigle is the Tigers’ No. 1 overall prospect and one of the best prospects in baseball. He's playing so well right now at High-A West Michigan that he should be promoted soon.

Depending upon what the Tigers plan to do at the deadline, he could be a player they hang on to and hope can develop into a contributor by the end of 2026. Or Detroit could flip him in that one big move that could help put them over the top.

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OF Max Clark

Clark is in the same category at McGonigle. He’s a former first-round pick who the Tigers envision as one of their outfielders of the future.

He could be patrolling center field at Comerica Park one day. The only question with a few weeks before the deadline is whether he'll be doing it in a Tigers uniform or in someone else's.

He has some of the best raw tools in the game, and like McGonigle, he should be at Double-A Erie soon.

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C/1B Josue Briceño

The bat is what makes Briceño so coveted when it comes to the trade deadline. His defense is a work in progress.

A previous knee injury makes it more likely that he'll be a first baseman. But he’s still getting his glove in shape there. He may end up as a full-time designated hitter in the Majors, for either the Tigers or another team.

With additional coverage at both catcher and first base, he could be a key piece to a major deal at the deadline.

INF Hao-Yu Lee

The Tigers got Lee from the Philadelphia Phillies at the 2023 trade deadline for pitcher Michael Lorenzen. Since then, Lee's progress has accelerated to the point where he's getting regular playing time at Triple-A Toledo.

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He can play either second or third base and there is an injury history for prospective trade partners to be concerned about. But, at 22 years old and with five years in the minor leagues, there’s a body of work the Tigers can use to interest other teams.

RHP Troy Melton

Other teams could be interested in Melton for the same reason the Tigers are intrigued by him. He's the only Detroit Top 30 prospect currently pitching at Toledo.

The fact that he's pitching one level below the Majors means that he will get some interest from other teams because he’s close to a promotion.

The Tigers will have to gauge their starting pitching depth for the next two or three seasons before they decide to include Melton in any deadline deal.

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