Tigers might've just telegraphed trade deadline plans beyond Tarik Skubal with Casey Mize decision

After being pre-pilloried by certain corners of the internet for a decision they hadn't even made yet - keeping Tarik Skubal past the trade deadline in a crowded AL playoff picture - the Detroit Tigers seem ready to go further this summer. With right-hander Casey Mize originally poised to start on Friday, he's instead been bumped in favor of a bullpen game and moved to Tuesday, conveniently one day past the trade deadline.

This doesn't necessarily mean that Mize is on the move, or that the Tigers have ruled emphatically that Skubal is as good as gone and that their shakeup knows no bounds. It does give Detroit the flexibility to go even deeper than dealing Skubal over the course of the next three days.

While the Tigers' plans haven't been drawn in permanent ink, fans who see a flashing red light here are not out of bounds. This is a meaningful internal maneuver.

Tigers trade deadline fire sale could include Casey Mize, Gleyber Torres

You're not going to believe this, but national insiders took this Mize news as more than just a strong hint, jumping to beyond-Skubal conclusions quite easily.

Jon Heyman used the Mize update to note that, while this almost ensures a Skubal move in his eyes, it also allows the Tigers to dangle known quantities like Kyle Finnegan (known this season mostly for being bad in crucial opportunities) and Gleyber Torres in forthcoming trade talks. With so few teams declaring themselves as dedicated sellers, especially in the AL playoff picture, any talented team that's willing to go further than most of its cohorts could make a killing in this market. Trading Mize ahead of free agency, while he carries a 2.70 ERA and 0.992 WHIP in 16 starts after an All-Star selection in 2025 and a snub this year, would probably be among the Tigers' most rational next steps. Mize, still a longshot to re-sign this offseason, would seem to represent a more likely reunion than Skubal.

Add in the Boston Red Sox's reported interest in infielders and an explicit Ken Rosenthal mention of Torres in that market, and it seems likely that moving Mize around is a precursor to intense activity in Detroit.

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