Tigers trade Casey Mize at deadline buzzer and pit him against Tarik Skubal, Dodgers

The Detroit Tigers did not conduct a trade deadline fire sale in 2026, but they traded their two best pitchers. Tarik Skubal is a Los Angeles Dodger, and Casey Mize will join him in the NL playoff race down the stretch.

At the trade deadline buzzer, Scott Harris traded Mize to the San Diego Padres for top prospect Kash Mayfield. The left-handed pitcher was the No. 2-ranked prospect in the Pads' system after being drafted in the first-round back in 2024.

The full trade also included infielder Gage Workman going to San Diego and minor league arm Jackson Wolf headed to Detroit. The Padres got some position depth help and the Tigers received pitching depth at Triple-A.

There were a number of contenders interested in Mize. Reports suggested the Braves, Diamondbacks, Phillies, Yankees, Red Sox and others were interested. The Padres seemed like an under-the-radar destination, but Harris made up for what some believed to be an underwhelming return for Skubal.

Mayfield isn't close to MLB, but he's got a promising future ahead. He's only 21 years old and has a 3.24 ERA and 1.19 ERA in his first 34 pro starts.

Scott Harris ends trade deadline on better note with Casey Mize trade

Mize's rebound the last two years has been promising, but this never felt like a long-term partnership after the contract option situation heading into the 2025 campaign. That just didn't really sit right with anybody.

Additionally, Mize, a former No. 1 overall pick, never lived up to the billing. He was troubled by injuries for years and finished his Tigers career with a 3.95 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 105 games since debuting in 2020. Not bad, but not great.

He'll now get a chance to finish the season strong on a playoff contender and battle down to the wire with Skubal and the Dodgers — perhaps an underrated wrinkle of this year's deadline. Meanwhile, the Tigers are looking toward the future as Max Clark's promotion has lit a fire under the offense and Harris' prospect acquisitions have replenished the farm nicely.

Oh yeah, and Detroit is only 2.5 games out of a playoff spot ...

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