Detroit Tigers trade pitcher Casey Mize to San Diego

DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers have traded starting pitcher Casey Mize to the San Diego Padres.

Update: Detroit Tigers receive top pitching prospects Kash Mayfield, Jackson Wolf from Padres in Casey Mize trade

The deal came together just before the MLB trade deadline at 6 p.m. Monday (Aug. 3).

Mize, 29, is in the middle of a career year for the Tigers.

Mize was drafted by the Tigers with the No. 1 overall pick out of Auburn back in 2018.

He debuted the same season as Tarik Skubal -- the COVID-shortened 2020 -- and has made 105 career appearances for Detroit.

Mize emerged as a solid back-end-of-the-rotation pitcher for the Tigers during his first full season in 2021, but then lost nearly two full years due to an injury early in 2022.

Since his return in 2024, Mize has been consistently solid -- posting a 4.12 ERA, 3.91 FIP, and 1.349 WHIP across 50 games in 2024 and 2025.

This season, Mize owns a career-best 2.70 ERA and 0.992 WHIP -- and his emergence is backed up by the underlying numbers. He’s missing bats at a solid rate, limiting walks, and suppressing hard contact.

Mize is certainly a viable No. 2 or 3 starter for a playoff-contending team.

Here are the deadline deals the Tigers have made so far:

• Tarik Skubal traded to Los Angeles Dodgers for outfield prospect Zyhir Hope and pitching prospects River Ryan and Brady Smith.
• Casey Mize traded to

Thanks to a three-game sweep of the Athletics over the weekend, the Tigers have clawed their way back into the wildcard race, just 2.5 games behind Cleveland.

These deadline deals will obviously hurt the Tigers’ chances to make the postseason, but they do have a plus-63 run differential, which is typically a strong indicator of how good a team really is.

Only the Yankees have a better differential than the Tigers’ plus-63 mark in the AL. But some of the discrepancy between record and run differential is because the Tigers’ bullpen has blown so many late leads.

The Tigers were a consensus favorite to win the AL Central this year, so it’s been a disappointing season. There are still 50 games left, but these deals won’t make it any easier for them to dig out of the hole they dug with a 6-22 May.