The Boston Red Sox have one of the best pitching staffs in MLB with plenty of other arms hopefully coming off the injured list before the end of the season, including Garrett Crochet and Johan Oviedo. But that doesn't mean there's no room for improvement ahead of the trade deadline.
Boston's rotation is dominated by left-handers and Sonny Gray is its only healthy righty. He could use a right-handed counterpart to bring some diversity and depth to the staff and the Detroit Tigers could have just the option for them.
Tarik Skubal is surely going to be the talk of the trade deadline, but he would be yet another lefty in the Sox's staff (not to mention the obscene asking price he'll demand). The Tigers' other star pitcher, Casey Mize, could be the perfect arm for Boston.
Mize has posted a 2.70 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 85 strikeouts and 19 walks over 86.2 innings pitched. The 29-year-old has made only 16 starts this season due to two injured list stints due to adductor issues, but he's seemed fine since the Tigers activated him on June 17. The Tigers scratched Mize from his start on July 31, suggesting a trade could be imminent.
Red Sox could target Casey Mize as rental right-handed rotation addition to complement Sonny Gray
Most of the Red Sox buzz this trade deadline has been around controllable candidates, which Mize is not. He's under contract until the end of the 2026 season, and though the Sox could use a righty on a long-term deal, they might not have the privilege to be picky. This year's trade deadline competition is tighter than normal due to the number of teams in contention in the American League and the price for long-term trade candidates will reflect that.
Mize will be a costly addition, as well, as any team in the market for a rental righty starter will have its eyes on him. The Red Sox have one of the deeper farm systems in the league, particularly in regards to pitching prospects, so they could go for Mize without concern.
The Red Sox's starters have posted a 3.93 ERA this season, ninth-best in the league, and trading for Mize would make the rotation even stronger. The division rival Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees have the fourth and fifth best rotation ERAs, respectively and they're among some of the Red Sox's top competition in the Wild Card race. Trading for Mize could bring Boston up to the same level as some of its closest Wild Card competitors, and maybe even give it an edge.
Add us as a preferred source on Google