The Braves have expressed strong interest in Detroit Tigers' starter Casey Mize ahead of the deadline tomorrow.
The Atlanta Braves had been known as one of the primary contenders willing to throw their chips in for frontline starter Tarik Skubal before the trade deadline. But after Saturday night, a pivot will now need to be made.
In a classic notion of expectation turned to reality, the Los Angeles Dodgers were the team to secure Skubal from the Detroit Tigers for the remainder of this season, trading off three prospects in a blockbuster move and trumping the Braves’ hopes of securing the left-hander.
Atlanta had been seen as one of the real players for him, according to Jon Heyman of the NY Post, especially with how much help another starting pitcher would bring to this team. But now with Skubal off the market, the Braves only have just over 24 hours to make their move for another.
In fact, they are focusing their sights on a starting pitcher in Detroit.
With Skubal now off the board, the Braves have expressed strong interest in Tigers starting pitcher Casey Mize, per Pat Ragazzo of Athlon Sports.
The Tigers recently made their potential desires to move Mize known when they scratched him from his Friday start against the Athletics, as a non-injury precaution ahead of the deadline.
At the time, no trade appeared to be imminent for Mize, per . But with the Braves now likely looking to be much more aggressive after missing on Skubal, they are definitely a team to keep an eye on in the sweepstakes for him.
This season, Mize has seen two trips to the injured list and has dealt with a nagging groin issue. But when he is on the mound, he has proved to be one of the league’s most productive starters.
Mize has recorded the best numbers of his career this season, posting a 2.70 ERA and 4.47 strikeout to walk ratio. In 16 starts this year, his 2.9 fWAR already marks a career-high.
The 29-year-old starter has dealt with a decent sum of injuries over the past couple of years, which includes hamstring and groin issues, but has not dealt with anything arm-related since he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2022.
The addition of Mize to the Braves’ rotation would provide them with an efficient starter to rely on, which has been hard to come by for the team this season.
Chris Sale has continued to be the team’s ace, but the supporting cast around him has not been as efficient. The Braves placed Reynaldo López on the injured list this morning, while Bryce Elder has dropped off after a strong start to the season. Martín Pérez and Grant Holmes have both been solid in their roles, but are not exactly the frontline starters you trust wholeheartedly in the postseason.
Adding Mize to the mix would give the Braves another arm to trust down the stretch with much upside to him. Mize is set to be a free agent at the end of the season.
