It would be bad business for the Tigers to keep Casey Mize for 2025 season

As the Tigers look to firm up their 2025 rotation, they have decisions to make about pretty much every starter not named Tarik Skubal. Reese Olson could do as a nice trade candidate, Keider Montero might not have done enough this season to start 2025 in the majors, and Casey Mize could be ... a problem.

Last season, he and the Tigers went into an arbitration hearing over just $25,000, which the Tigers won. He spent almost two months on the IL this summer, with the team sending him to the 60-day despite the fact that he said he felt good and was frustrated by the move. It felt like a temporary roster-clearing effort, if we're being honest. He was also notably left off Detroit's ALDS roster. The team declined his $3.1 million option for 2025, sending him back into arbitration eligibility.

Mize ended up making $830,000 in 2024 and is expected to make $2 million in 2025 after posting a 4.49 ERA over 102 1/3 innings this season. Scott Harris seemed to indicate that the Tigers wouldn't be parting ways with him in the offseason, saying, "My hope is that he has a big offseason and that he shows up to Lakeland with as high a ceiling as anyone has in this organization. He has that ability, he has that work ethic, and those are pretty compelling combinations."

But if the Tigers have the money to replace him, and it feels like they've been pushing him out the door all season, should they actually keep him?

Tigers should explore alternative starting pitching options to Casey Mize this offseason

Mize has far from lived up to expectations as the first overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft. He only pitched 10 innings in 2022 and underwent Tommy John, which kept him out for all of 2023 as well. He hasn't had a truly complete season since 2021, when he made 30 starts and logged a 3.71 ERA. His career 4.36 ERA and 291 innings pitched since he was called up in 2020 leave a lot to be desired.

But Mize could still be a nice trade piece for the Tigers, if they sell him as a guy who still has a lot of upside despite his struggles in the past. Detroit could get a few prospects for him and/or an extra reliever. They would also rid themselves of a bit of a headache after how they handled his arbitration process last year. Not to mention, Scott Boras is his agent, so we know how this will all eventually end.

If the Tigers really want to capitalize on the momentum they gained this year, firming up the rotation should be their biggest concern. It's understandable why they would want to stick by Mize as long as possible, but it also feels like his time has run out in Detroit.