Their 2024 season was barely over, and the Tigers were already thinking about 2025.

Speaking in an end-of-season press conference Monday, Detroit's president of baseball operations Scott Harris joked that he used to try to talk to manager A.J. Hinch about prospects, only to be met with an ambivalent eye roll. Harris noted that that’s changed, and Hinch interjected to note that there are a few potential non-roster invitees he’s excited to get into Major League camp next spring.

“See you soon, Max, Kevin,” Hinch said, referencing two top 2023 Draft picks and Top 100 prospects. And then he waited a beat before adding another name he didn’t want to forget.

“Liranzo.”

That inclusion gave a clear indication of how enamored Detroit officials are with No. 6 prospect Thayron Liranzo, mere months after he was acquired from the Dodgers alongside postseason starting shortstop Trey Sweeney in the Jack Flaherty deal. But before Liranzo can get in front of Hinch & Co. in spring, he has to take over the autumn first with Scottsdale in the Arizona Fall League.

Luckily, he brought a hot bat with him to the Valley of the Sun.

A $30,000 signee out of the Dominican Republic in 2021, the switch-hitting catcher enjoyed a breakout 2023 season (his first with a full-season club). He slugged .562 and hit 24 homers in 94 games for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga -- the second-most dingers hit by a Minor League backstop last year -- despite it being only his age-19 campaign. He failed to build on that with a bump to High-A Great Lakes, hitting .220 with seven homers and a .700 OPS through his first 74 games heading into the Trade Deadline.

With Los Angeles perpetually in contention, every Dodgers prospect can be a little on edge around Trade Deadline time. Liranzo, with his stock not completely gone because of his age and power potential, felt something might be around the corner.

“I had a slight idea that I might be traded,” he said via translator Analis Castro. “My mentality stayed the same. I was very thankful for the support I had, and it was still in my mind to give 110 percent.”

Perhaps he used the trade as motivation, or perhaps the trade was well timed for a Liranzo breakout as he gained experience at High-A and the weather warmed. In any event, the newfound Detroit prospect took off after the deal, hitting .315/.470/.562 with five homers, 26 walks and 20 strikeouts in 26 games with Tigers affiliate West Michigan. His K rate dropped from 26.1 percent to 17.4. His walk rate climbed from 15.6 percent to 22.6. He cut down on ground balls, hit more liners and fly balls and pulled the ball with more authority than he had to begin 2024 -- trends he's been carrying into his early work with Scottsdale.

And this might only be the beginning.

“Every club has their own specialty in how they develop players,” Liranzo said. “Now that I’ll be here for a full year with Detroit, it’ll give me the time to truly see what other changes I notice.”

One thing’s for sure, the Tigers’ window of contention is open, and the club intends to keep it open. While Liranzo may have been brought into an organization that was selling at the Deadline, he’s now in one aiming to make multiple postseason runs moving forward with him included perhaps sooner rather than later.

“I’m very proud now that I’m with the Tigers,” Liranzo said.

Tigers hitters in the Fall League

Josue Briceño, C/1B (No. 9): Briceño is listed as a catcher but is expected to stick to first base and DH duties after a PCL sprain in his right knee limited him to 40 games with Single-A Lakeland. The 6-foot-4 slugger has undeniable power from the left side, as he proved with a three-homer game at home against Glendale on Oct. 12, and the arrival of Liranzo eases the pressure that Briceño needs to stick behind the plate to be a key part of Detroit’s homegrown core.

Peyton Graham, SS: The Tigers took Graham out of Oklahoma in the second round of the 2022 Draft and signed him above slot at $1.8 million as a potential power-speed option at shortstop. It hasn’t worked out that way as Graham’s career is off to a slow roll. This year, he hit just .185/.342/.247 with one homer in 53 games with High-A West Michigan before suffering finger fractures on his right hand that kept him out for more than two months. A late addition to Double-A Erie’s Eastern League championship roster gave Graham some momentum before he headed to the desert to make up for the lost at-bats.

Tigers pitchers in the Fall League

Eric Silva, RHP (No. 27): The Giants moved the 2021 fourth-rounder to the bullpen this season and traded him to the Tigers in a one-for-one deal for Mark Canha. The 6-foot-1 righty finished with a 4.73 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 59 innings between the Double-A affiliates in both systems. His feel for spin gives him two quality breaking pitches -- a curveball and a slider -- and he’s proven fairly split-proof with a better OPS-against vs. lefties (.663) compared to righties (.700) this season.

Rayner Castillo, RHP: Castillo finally made it to Single-A Lakeland after three seasons in the Florida Complex League and was effective there with a 2.52 ERA over 60 2/3 innings. The 20-year-old righty can fire in a pair of fastballs in the 94-97 mph range and works with a low-80s slider and 89-91 mph changeup. The breaking ball has been used more reliably. Castillo has proven best at generating ground-ball contact than missing bats to this point but will need to generate more K’s the higher he climbs.

Jake Miller, LHP: A 2022 eighth-rounder out of Valparaiso, Miller opened the season as a Single-A Lakeland reliever but expanded his workload as the season wore on. His 1.85 ERA over 87 1/3 innings across three levels was the lowest among Tigers Minor Leaguers with at least 80 frames, and he struck out 104 and walked only 17 in that span. He works with a 92-95 mph fastball, low-80s sweeper, upper-80s cutter and 85-88 mph changeup.

CJ Weins, RHP: The Tigers picked up the 2023 sixth-rounder from the Red Sox for Trey Wingenter on July 8 when he was still in Single-A, and the 24-year-old right-hander finished the year in Double-A. His 91-95 mph fastball is his primary weapon due to good extension and 17-18 inches of induced vertical break on average, but he’ll also show an upper-80s cutter, a mid-80s slider and a mid-80s changeup.