Tigers Could Soon Benefit From an Overlooked Trade Deadline Addition
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Though the Detroit Tigers didn't want to be sellers at the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline, their poor performance in May and slipping placement in the AL Central standings forced the front office's hand.
President of Baseball Operations Scott Harris traded two backbones to Detroit's starting rotation: Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize. The Skubal trade took center stage, with Skubal being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for three prospects: Zyhir Hope, River Ryan, and Brady Smith.
Hope immediately became the Tigers' top prospect, and Ryan made his franchise debut to close out the season, giving fans a glimpse of what he's capable of. Smith has some time to get to the big leagues, but regardless, everyone knows what package the Tigers got in return for their back-to-back AL Cy Young Award winner.
Mize was traded in the final minutes of the deadline to the San Diego Padres, in exchange for two pitchers, one of whom could be closer to helping the Detroit rotation than some think.
Kash Mayfield: The Forgotten Piece?
The biggest piece in return for Mize was acquiring left-handed pitcher Kash Mayfield (Jackson Wolf was the other prospect). The former first-round pick comes to Detroit with a lot of potential, but hasn't gotten the national recognition for what he brings to the franchise compared to the player acquired for Skubal.
Mayfield, the Tigers' No. 7 ranked prospect, has an MLB ETA of 2028, but if all goes well, there's a world he could help the MLB roster in the latter half of 2027. He reported to the West Michigan WhiteCaps after being traded and has looked impressive in professional baseball, given that he was drafted straight out of high school.
In two seasons of Minor League Baseball, between High-A and Single-A, Mayfield has made 34 starts and holds a 3.24 ERA with 150 strikeouts in 114 innings. The Tigers used Casey Mize to acquire a player who could resemble Tarik Skubal's strikeout stuff on the mound.
Mayfield looks to ramp up his velocity on his fastball, which sits in the low 90s, but has an array of pitches to use to his advantage. His changeup is his best pitch, similar to Skubal's, and he found success with his slider against right-handed hitters, not lefties.
If Mayfield can find a way to induce more swing and miss on his slider, perhaps having it run away to left-handers more, the Tigers could have themselves a game-changer on their hands.
The Padres wouldn't have taken him in the first round if they hadn't seen his potential at his age; now it's the Tigers' developmental task to hone his skills, hopefully getting him to the Majors to help the starting rotation and bullpen depth at the tail end of 2027.
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Dominic Minchella is a 2024 Eastern Michigan University graduate with a BA in Communications, Media, and Theatre Arts and a Journalism minor. He covers Major League Baseball for On SI and spends his free time watching games and sharing his insights.