The San Diego Padres acquired right-handed starting pitcher Casey Mize and infielder Gage Workman from the Detroit Tigers, according to Cbssports. The trade was finalized on a Monday, with minor-league left-handers Kash Mayfield and Jackson Wolf heading to the Detroit organization in return, as reported by The Detroit News. Prior to the deal, Mize had been slated to start for Detroit on a Friday, but the club scratched him from that scheduled outing and went with a bullpen game instead in a move that presaged the trade.
Padres Deal for Casey Mize and Gage Workman
Mize, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft out of Auburn, is a pending free agent owed the balance of a $6.15 million salary for the current season before hitting the market in the winter. Speaking on his status just before the move, Mize stated, I’m preparing to pitch Tuesday. I don’t know if that will be here or elsewhere. I am ready for it to get figured out, one way or another.
Rotational Impact and Player Background
At 29 years old, Mize is enjoying his finest big-league season to date on a rate basis. Across 16 starts, he has recorded a career-best ERA+ of 159, alongside career-best marks in FIP, strikeout rate, and K/BB ratio, aided by an increased usage of his slider. After missing most of the 2022 and 2023 seasons recovering from elbow and back surgeries, he earned his lone All-Star selection in 2025 by posting a 14-6 record with a 3.87 ERA. Despite battling a nagging groin strain that sent him to the injured list three times this year, he stabilized the Tigers’ rotation with a 2.70 ERA when healthy. For his career, he holds a 107 ERA+ and has pitched in the postseason, making one brief playoff start in both 2024 and 2025 for Detroit, combining for six innings, two allowed runs on three hits, four walks, and seven strikeouts.
In San Diego, Mize slots into a contending rotation that already includes Michael King, Walker Buehler, and newly acquired Robbie Ray. The Padres entered the deadline needing at least one starter and left with two, though acquiring Mize required parting with significant organizational depth. Mize leaves behind a Detroit squad situated 2.5 games out of the third wild-card spot to join a Padres team sitting just one game back of the National League’s third wild-card position.
Prospects Heading to Detroit
The Tigers received two minor-league left-handers in the exchange: 21-year-old Kash Mayfield and 27-year-old Jackson Wolf. Mayfield was selected by San Diego in the first round of the 2025 draft and is ranked as the No. 2 prospect in their system with a mid-rotation ceiling,
according to MLB Pipeline. During his second professional season at High-A Fort Wayne, Mayfield went 3-1 with a 3.54 ERA, averaging 10.5 strikeouts and 3.7 walks per nine innings.
Wolf, standing 6-foot-7, made a one-game major league debut for the Padres in 2023—notably earning a win against the Tigers in that lone start—before being sent back to Triple-A. This season at Triple-A El Paso, Wolf struggled to a 7.05 ERA and a 1.668 WHIP while allowing 16 home runs across 89.1 innings.
