Detroit Tigers Urged to Move On From Former No. 1 Overall Pick This Offseason
The Detroit Tigers head into the offseason knowing the holes on their roster and are even more urgent to fix them after it seems their championship contending window is open.
One of those holes all season - especially after shipping off Jack Flaherty at the deadline - was starting pitching behind superstar ace Tarik Skubal. The Kenta Maeda signing was a bust and with Flaherty having been sent to the Dodgers, A.J. Hinch was having to piece together bullpen games by the time the playoffs rolled around in games that Skubal couldn't bail the team out.
One player who was long expected to be a key piece of the future rotation for years to come was 2018 No. 1 overall selection Casey Mize. But after returning in 2024 from an injury struggle where he missed the entire 2023 season and large chunks of the 2022 season, Mize was ultimately a disappointment once again. Prior to this season, Mize was solid in his last full year with a 3.71 ERA over 30 starts in 2021, but obviously to this point has been unable to take the next step. Chap Cunningham of Just Baseball says a change of scenery might be in play here.
"We’ve seen how successful pitchers can become when their environment changes," Cunningham wrote. "With youngster Keider Montero and Jackson Jobe looking like they’ll be in the full-time rotation in 2025, the Tigers could opt to move on from Mize and seek a starter in the free agent market."
With a 4.49 ERA over 20 starts this season along with a strikeout rate that came close to his 2021 numbers, Mize certainly was not horrible in 2024. But with a window of contention now open for Detroit, they likely cannot afford to bank again on the righty being a consistent top-five rotation guy that they can rely on to produce.
Mize could still revive his career and there are plenty of teams who will still be interested after the season that he had, it is just beginning to feel like he has probably reached his peak with the Tigers.
In a case like this, a change of scenery can often simply be best for all parties involved.
