Tigers Reportedly Scratch Casey Mize; Tarik Skubal Trade More Likely?

Tarik Skubal may not be the only Detroit Tigers pitcher who has to get a suitcase packed. The Tigers scratched right-hander Casey Mize from his Friday night start against the Athletics, according to the Detroit News. Mize is being taken off-schedule as a “precaution” to a potential trade, with the Tigers set to roll with a bullpen day on Friday. Should Mize not be moved before Monday’s MLB trade deadline, he’s in line to start for the Tigers in their Tuesday night road matchup against the Seattle Mariners. Mize has recorded a 2.70 ERA, an 0.99 WHIP, 85 strikeouts, a 159 ERA+ and 2.9 wins above replacement over 86 ⅔ innings pitched this season, helping the right-hander earn his first career All-Star nod. The 29-year-old, who was selected by the Tigers with the No. 1 pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, has been limited to 16 starts this season due to a groin injury that forced Mize to miss roughly six weeks over two stints on the injured list. Mize, like Skubal, is set to hit free agency after this season. Meanwhile, the pressing matter for Detroit is Skubal’s future, as the defending, back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner made his last scheduled start for the team before the trade deadline on Wednesday afternoon, and the consensus is the southpaw will be moved. Skubal, who missed roughly six weeks earlier this season due to an elbow injury that required surgery, sports a 2.79 ERA, an 0.91 WHIP, 116 strikeouts, a 154 ERA+ and three wins above replacement over 96 2/3 innings pitched. The Los Angeles Dodgers are the reported favorites to acquire Skubal, who’s also a free agent after the season. The Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees have also been linked to a potential Skubal trade. In Skubal’s previous start, on Wednesday against the Orioles, he recorded his 1,000th career strikeout while allowing three runs on four hits and a walk over 6 2/3 innings. Other potential trade candidates for Detroit include second baseman Gleyber Torres (.270/.383/.392 slash line) and relievers Kenley Jansen (3.77 ERA) and Kyle Finnegan (2.93 ERA and a 147 ERA+), among others. The Tigers, who made the playoffs in both 2024 and 2025, are 51-58, which puts them 4.5 games behind the Cleveland Guardians for the third AL wild-card spot entering play on Friday. Detroit is 6.5 games behind the first-place Chicago White Sox in the AL Central.