Padres Manager Addresses Casey Mize's Spot on Postseason Roster

When the San Diego Padres traded their No. 2 overall prospect for right-hander Casey Mize (among other pieces involved at the deadline deal), it was seen as an extremely positive move.

How could it not?

The Padres were desperate for starting pitching, and Mize was in the middle of a 2.70 ERA campaign through his first 16 starts on a selling Detroit Tigers team. To trade for a 29-year-old pitcher three years removed from Tommy John on an expiring contract is certainly a gamble, but with the Padres looking to go all-in on a deep October run, it was well worth the vulnerabilities.

Across his first nine starts in a Padres uniform, Mize has struggled, to say the least. He owns a 6.64 ERA, has walked 17 batters to his 24 strikeouts, allowed twice as many home runs than he did in Detroit this season and has a bWAR of minus-1 since his tenure began.

As the Padres appear to look unstoppable on offense heading into the postseason, all eyes drift to Mize and what his usage may be at such a critical point of the season.

Manager Craig Stammen addressed the elephant in the room, and seemed hopeful about what October may bring for the hurler.

“He hasn’t been who he was previously in the season,” Stammen said. “But he’s got a track record of being a very solid major league pitcher for a long time. … There are ups and downs throughout the season. And right now he’s just in a little down period. But we’ve got a week left in the season. He’s probably got one more start left. We value him as a big piece of our pitching staff.”

Mize indeed has an impressive history on the mound, but even after earning All-Star honors in 2025, his season went south. His 3.15 ERA got him on the Midsummer Classic roster, but he pitched to the tune of a 4.96 ERA for the remainder of the season (12 starts).

He made two postseason appearances the following October, both of which were three-inning starts in which he allowed a run.

Regardless, Mize spoke about the role that he plays in his team's chances for October. He admitted that he needs to improve, but left no doubt that the work is being put in.

“It’s just obvious that I’m not able to consistently put good ones together like I was early for the first two-thirds of the season or whatever,” Mize said. “This is a great team, and they deserve a lot better than what I’ve been giving them. But I’m giving everything I got, man. I’m laying it all out there every time, every pitch, and unfortunately it just hasn’t been good enough for myself or for this team. And I’m gonna keep doing that, keep freaking working at it and giving everything I got.

"But it needs to be better.”

Mize will have one more regular-season start in the team's final series of the season against the Arizona Diamondbacks to prove he deserves a post on the wild-card roster.

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X/Twitter for the latest news.