Detroit Tigers Decline Club Option For Previous First Overall Pick
The future is looking bright for the Detroit Tigers based on the success they had in 2024 and how much young talent they have on their Major League roster and within their pipeline.
Because of that, they should be contending for a long time, but that also makes decisions about who will be on this team going forward hard for the front office.
Of course those are problems any organization would love to have, but it's also something to keep in mind as the Tigers make decisions over the next few months and for years to come.
Something they decided to do was decline the $3.2 million club option they had for Casey Mize.
"That's a procedural transaction, as Mize does not have the requisite six years of service to become a free agent. He remains under arbitration control ...," reported Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors.
With his arbitration value projected to be roughly $2 million for the 2025 season, that will save Detroit some money as they weigh options about who to pursue in free agency this winter when looking to bolster their roster.
This deal was pretty interesting in the first place.
During the two side's negotiations ahead of this past campaign, they decided to forego arbitration by agreeing on a $830,000 contract in 2024 with a $3.1 million club option for 2025.
Since Mize was coming off Tommy John surgery that caused him to miss all of 2023, neither party really knew what to expect from him at the Major League level since he performed well during his first full year in the MLB before the injury, but had also been injury-riddled throughout his career.
Bringing him back on a cheaper deal made the most sense for the Tigers.
Mize has high upside with his pedigree of being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 MLB draft and being the top prospect in their pipeline in 2019 and 2020.
The hope is the right-hander can become a top-of-the-rotation starter for Detroit behind their ace Tarik Skubal, giving this team an elite one-two punch that would allow them to compete with other contenders in the American League.
This upcoming season will be huge for Mize.
With him being under club control for one more year after this upcoming season, the Tigers will have to make a decision on his future very soon.
If he performs well, he might earn a lucrative contract that keeps him part of this organization for years to come as this team looks to contend for the next decade, but if doesn't pitch well and gets hit with the injury bug again, that could change his future in Detroit.
