MLB Trade Rumors: 5 trade bait names to keep an eye on

There once was a time when Francisco Liriano looked like an ace. The stars aligned for him to stand side-by-side in Minnesota with Johan Santana and become part of a dynamic pitching duo. Injuries and bad breaks have dimmed that potential, but more than a decade into his MLB career he’s still someone considered to be part of someone’s championship puzzle.

Detroit isn’t going to be competing for much this year, but the team would be wise to field offers come July for their best pitcher. Liriano has postseason experience and seems to be on the upswing of his latest peaks-and-valleys adventure. That’s how it works with guys like Liriano, who seem like they could be finished before rediscovering themselves and then becoming trade bait.

A team in need for reliable starting pitching — like the Yankees — could make for an interesting landing spot should Liriano keep up the pace he’s on. For all his knocks over the years, there’s still enough talent in him where we could be watching his redemption story play out on baseball’s biggest stage in October. He’s just as capable of falling off and becoming a busted rental, but if he keeps going the way he is, it’ll be hard to not consider Liriano trade bait the closer to the deadline we get.