The Padres have already gotten their look at Casey Mize, and it did not go well enough to justify a reunion.
Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller pegged the Giants as Mize’s best free-agent fit, projecting his deal in the neighborhood of one year and $10 million or two years and $20 million. San Francisco has room for that kind of gamble, too.
Its projected rotation begins with Logan Webb and Landen Roupp and then leans heavily on hope. That’s also been the Giants’ style in recent years, cycling through short-term bets on starters who might hold down the middle of a rotation if everything breaks right.
Alex Cobb, Alex Wood, Anthony DeSclafani, Sean Manaea, Ross Stripling, Jordan Hicks, Tyler Mahle and Adrian Houser all came through on some version of that plan.
Mize fits that aisle. The Padres should stay out of it.
At the trade deadline, San Diego acquired Mize from Detroit after he put up a 2.70 ERA in 16 starts for the Tigers. A.J. Preller paid for the upside, sending 2024 first-round pick Kash Mayfield and Jackson Wolf to Detroit in exchange for Mize and Gage Workman.
The second half was a different story. Mize finished with a 7.46 ERA in 10 starts for the Padres, allowed 13 home runs in 44 2/3 innings, and ended the regular season on the IL with a right ankle sprain.
That’s the version San Diego has to remember, not the one that inspired the deadline deal.
Yes, the temptation is easy to understand. The Padres are short on starting pitching, and Mize’s rough finish likely pushed his price into a range they can handle.
The organization knows him. Pitching coach Ruben Niebla has worked with him.
And Mize’s first half with Detroit still counts for something.
But the Padres’ rotation picture is already packed with uncertainty. Joe Musgrove came back in the postseason after missing two regular seasons, though San Diego still needs to see him rebuild into a full starter’s workload.
Yu Darvish has not decided whether he will try to return from elbow surgery. Nick Pivetta was excellent after coming back from a flexor strain, but the team still has to decide on the two-year, $32 million club option tied to his extended stay on the injured list.
Michael King can opt out and become one of the market’s most coveted starters.
That’s enough medical risk for one staff. The Padres need their next rotation addition to bring innings they can actually trust, not another arm attached to a long list of ifs.
If the Giants sign Mize and unlock the Detroit version, San Diego will hear about it. Even so, that would still be better than paying for the anxiety again.
In Other News...
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Padres Face Two Tricky Veteran Decisions That Could Reshape This Roster
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Nick Pivettas situation is even more pressing, because the Padres have to sort out his contract shortly after the World Series while also monitoring elbow and forearm issues. His deal includes options, and a renegotiation is on the table, which leaves San Diego with a veteran pitching decision that could shape both the rotation and the payroll before the offseason really gets moving. [Read more 🡒]