The expert reactions to the Detroit Tigers trading lefty ace Tarik Skubal were almost universally in the same direction – praising the Dodgers for adding the best pitcher in baseball while panning the Tigers for poor timing and an underwhelming return.
The reactions to the Tigers trading righty Casey Mize, however, have been more varied.
The Tigers traded Mize and infielder Gage Workman to the San Diego Padres on Monday, Aug. 3, for left-handed pitching prospects Kash Mayfield and Jackson Wolf. Mayfield was the No. 2 prospect in San Diego's organization, albeit one that ranked last in MLB Pipeline's preseason farm system rankings, while Wolf has already made his MLB debut but hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2023.
Some analysts loved the
move for the Tigers. Others (like us) didn't grade it so highly.
Here's a roundup of what MLB experts are saying about the Mize move.
Detroit Free Press: C-minus.
Our Ryan Ford wasn't too impressed initially with what the Tigers got in the trade for the former No. 1 overall pick, mostly because of the addition of Wolf, who has struggled to pitch well in Triple-A El Paso this season.
"Mayfield has an expected 2028 arrival in the majors, and Wolf hardly seems like even an option for the back end of the Tigers’ rotation this season. The Padres, after all, were unwilling to call him up despite a lack of arms in their NL wild-card chase; why would the Tigers?"
USA TODAY Sports: A-minus.
USA TODAY's Kristie Ackert called this a needed trade for Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris after the Tigers got an underwhelming return for the Skubal deal.
"He traded Tarik Skubal on Saturday night and immediately rival executives were calling it loser for the Tigers GM. Detroit spent all day Sunday taking it on the chin," she wrote. "Now, he's turned a two-month rental into a first-round lefty with a plus changeup and the kind of command that gets pitchers to the big leagues."
The Athletic: A.
The Athletic's Tyler Kepner and Chad Jennings were both aligned on the trade, giving A's all around to both the Padres and the Tigers (well, not quite – Jennings gave the Padres an A-minus).
"From the moment they traded Tarik Skubal, the Tigers were sellers, and at the very least they owed it to themselves to maximize the return on their best remaining rental. They did that with the Mize trade," Jennings writes. "It may be devastating to their playoff chances this season, but that’s the path the Tigers chose, and they were able to turn the last two months of Mize into Mayfield, a first-round pick who has good numbers in High-A and got invited to this summer’s Futures Game. He has upside beyond whatever draft pick the Tigers might have gotten for Mize this winter."
ESPN: B.
ESPN's Bradford Doolittle, who graded the Skubal trade a D for the Tigers on Sunday, praised the Tigers' return in the Mize trade.
"Mayfield was a first-round pick in 2024 (No. 25 overall) and has good across-the-board tools," he wrote. "His velocity has tended to vacillate, per MLB Pipeline, and he's still some ways away from the majors. He has plus command and a good feel for pitching, so as long as his mechanics remain consistent, he seems like a good bet to be a part of a big league rotation at some point."
CBS: B.
CBS' Dayn Perry was a little more reserved in his praise for the Tigers, while calling the trade the end of a disappointing era for Detroit.
"Mayfield is a very good prospect, but he's also a pitcher in Single-A, and a long way away from Detroit," he wrote. "In a vacuum, the Tigers made a good baseball move. On the field, you have to wonder when the rebuilding will ever end."
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Casey Mize trade grade roundup as MLB experts give Tigers high marks
