Newest Padres Star Sends Message to Tarik Skubal, Dodgers

The veteran right-hander shares a unique bond with his new NL West rival.

Tarik Skubal, left, and Casey Mize share a laugh at practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Florida, on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Coming into the 2026 season, Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal were supposed to be the leaders of a Detroit Tigers rotation that was poised for a deep postseason run.

Now, the two pitchers are opponents in the National League West.

Skubal will try to get the Los Angeles Dodgers back to the World Series for a third straight year. Mize and fellow deadline-day acquisition Robbie Ray will try to help the Padres finish the upward ascent they started in July.

For Mize, at least, it's going to be different.

"We come from the AL Central, and now the NL West is kind of out of left field for us. But, you know, we'll cross paths, and I look forward to it," he told USA Today's Bob Nightengale in Phoenix, where the Padres were playing the Diamondbacks immediately after Monday's trade deadline.

“He's my best friend," he added, "so obviously, hoping the best for him, but just not when he plays the Padres.’’

Mize, the first overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, had an up-and-down tenure in Detroit. His free-agent walk year has been mostly up.

The right-hander had a 2.70 ERA in 16 starts, averaging 5.1 innings per start, when he was traded to the Padres on Aug. 3, along with Gage Workman, for Kash Mayfield and and Jackson Wolf.

The Diamondbacks greeted Mize rudely in his Padres debut. Arizona led 8-0 before the Padres scratched across their first run in support of Mize in an eventual 10-4 loss on Wednesday.

Skubal's first game with the Dodgers also ended in a loss. Even though he allowed two runs in six innings, Skubal's blockbuster debut was spoiled when the Chicago Cubs won 5-1 on Tuesday at Wrigley Field.

With Mize and Workman joining the Padres' 26-man roster, left-handed pitcher JP Sears and catcher Rodolfo Durán were optioned to Triple-A El Paso.

Mize is lined up to make his home debut on Monday, when the Padres host the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1 of a three-game series.

The Padres and Dodgers only have one more head-to-head series this season, Sept. 22-24 in Los Angeles. If it lines up, a Skubal-Mize matchup would pit arguably the two best pitchers who changed teams at the deadline — and hold particular interest among suddenly nostalgic fans in Detroit.

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