The Tarik Skubal blockbuster has already reshaped the trade deadline for the Detroit Tigers, and it may have done the same for Casey Mize.
Once Detroit sent its ace to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the focus in the market shifted fast to another Tigers starter. MLB insider Jon Heyman pointed to Mize as the next name to watch, writing: Casey Mize should be next up for Tigers.
“Best rental,” left among starters says one rival GM. Great competitor.
2.70 ERA and 0.99 WHIP. Braves, D-Backs, Cubs, Rays, Padres, Yankees among possible suitors
That kind of attention makes sense. With Skubal no longer available, Mize suddenly sits at the center of a thinner pool of starting pitchers, and Detroit’s leverage only grows from here. The Tigers can now shop him with the knowledge that contenders still desperate for rotation help have fewer premium options to chase.
Mize also checks every box teams are looking for at the deadline. He is a rental, with unrestricted free agency coming after the 2026 season, and he is playing on a one-year, $6.15 million deal. That combination of affordability and control - or in this case, the lack of long-term control - makes him especially appealing to clubs that want immediate help without taking on a bigger commitment.
And this is not a pitcher needing a rebuild. Mize has been sharp all season, turning in some of the best work of his career.
Through 16 starts, he owns a 2.70 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP, with 85 strikeouts across 86.2 innings. Opponents are hitting just .213 against him, and he has logged eight quality starts.
That’s the profile contenders want: production, price, and no strings attached.
For Detroit, the decision to move Skubal made the larger direction of the organization pretty clear. The Tigers entered Saturday at 53-58, 5.5 games behind the first-place Chicago White Sox in the American League Central. They are not mathematically out of the race, but the Skubal deal signals the front office is looking past 2026 and toward what comes next.
Holding Mize would give the Tigers only a limited bump if they were to chase a late push. Moving him now could bring back a much stronger package, whether that comes in prospects or young major league talent.
The trade of Skubal changed the market. It also made Mize more valuable than ever, and now Detroit has to decide how far it wants to go in cashing in.
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