Jim Bowden's only Tigers 'best fit' in free agency is the most underwhelming option possible

Tigers fans were sick of hearing the name "Alex Bregman" by the end of the 2024-25 offseason, and then again by the end of the 2025-26 offseason, so it only stands to reason that there would be another player we're hoping will sign as quickly as possible this year to put us all out of our misery.

"Best fits" and contract predictions have already started rolling out, and all signs are pointing to that player being Casey Mize. Jim Bowden of The Athletic named the Tigers just once in his breakdown of the top 40 free agents this offseason, as a best fit for Mize.

On paper, it makes sense. The Tigers only traded Mize at the deadline because they had already made peace with having to deal Tarik Skubal. He's a Tigers 1-1 that they never gave up on until they absolutely had to and, when he was healthy, put together some great starts in Detroit.

But his fall off after being traded to the Padres was alarming, and although the Tigers could probably use another starter, there are more consistent options on the market. Tigers fans are always going to be fond of Mize, but it's time we close the book on that chapter of Detroit baseball.

Jim Bowden names Casey Mize as the only Tigers "best fit" in free agency

Granted, the Tigers have already made it very clear that they don't intend to be major players in this market, and they've kind of subliminally communicated that they like to stick with what they know. In that vein, Mize makes sense.

His drop-off with the Padres might even be attributed to a bad case of missing Chris Fetter, who spent all but Mize's debut season with him.

But Tigers fans know how this one goes. There's no reason to believe that Mize is over the hump in terms of injury when he spent two separate stints on the IL this season with adductor issues, and then immediately got hurt in a freak accident after he was traded.

Bowden predicts a three-year, $54 million contract for Mize, which is pretty comparable to the two-year, $35 million deal Jack Flaherty got (and a lot more plausible than Spotrac's projected numbers). It's not totally out of the Tigers' comfort zone, but that doesn't mean it's smart.

Given the state of the free agent market, Mize is going to find a taker, but it shouldn't be the Tigers.

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