All eyes are on the Detroit Tigers at the Major League Baseball trade deadline, with the possibility of Tarik Skubal being traded. However, the Tigers also have other intriguing options who could be dealt, including former No. 1 overall pick Casey Mize.
Mize, who has been very good when he’s on the mound, has dealt with a lot of injuries throughout his career. Had the former Auburn star been healthy throughout more of his career, we’d probably be looking at one of the more above-average pitchers in the game.
Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case, though Mize has been healthy this year, and there’s a chance the Tigers can finally move on from him at the right time. According to MLB.com, he’s currently viewed as the Tigers’ most likely trade candidate, and there’s reason to believe that could impact the New York Mets.
“Yeah, we get it, Tarik Skubal will be the biggest name in baseball around the Deadline. But if the Tigers indeed end up becoming sellers, Mize is a sneaky name to watch. The former No. 1 overall pick is off to the best start of his career, even better than his All-Star campaign last year.
“He entered Sunday ranked seventh in bWAR among AL pitchers at 2.2 despite missing time on the injured list with an adductor strain. His splitter is back to being a nasty out pitch, allowing him to raise his strikeout rate to a career-best 26.5%. And like Skubal, Mize is a free agent at season’s end,” Jason Beck wrote.
While Mize definitely isn’t the same caliber of arm as Freddy Peralta, at least career-wise, it’s fair to mention how good he’s been this season.
With the Mets looking for a big return at the deadline if they move on from Peralta, any other starter who gets traded could have an impact on the Mets. That’s unfortunately going to happen here if Mize gets traded, as teams will probably want to land him over Peralta because he’ll be much cheaper in a potential deal.
