Casey Mize’s nightmare Padres debut puts A.J. Preller’s risky trade gamble under fire

There are bad debuts, and then there’s Casey Mize. The newest member of the Padres starting rotation made sure Freddy Peralta wasn’t the only pitcher to get shelled while making his debut with his new team. Mize lasted just 3 1/3 innings against the Diamondbacks, surrendering nine hits, eight earned runs and three walks while striking out one. He threw 77 pitches, recorded 10 outs and buried his new team before the game even reached its halfway point.

Not exactly how they drew it up. Mize was acquired because the Padres desperately needed to stabilize a rotation that had spent too much of the season leaning on bullpen games and piggybacks. Instead, his first appearance created another mess for the bullpen to clean up.

The Diamondbacks won 10-4, but led 10-0 before the Padres scraped together four cosmetic runs in the ninth inning. It was a beatdown, and Mize took center stage. 

Casey Mize made A.J. Preller’s expensive Padres gamble look even riskier

This trade was another aggressive bet from A.J. Preller. They sent left-hander Kash Mayfield, their No. 2 prospect, and Jackson Wolf to Detroit for Mize and utility player Gage Workman. Mayfield was the real price. He was a 2024 first-round pick with 150 strikeouts across his first 114 professional innings and enough projection to become a legitimate major-league starter down the road.

Mize, meanwhile, can become a free agent after the season. So, they traded another top prospect for immediate help. In return, they got immediate damage. 

He entered his Padres debut with a 2.70 ERA. By the time the D-backs were done with him, his ERA had ballooned to 3.40. It only took one start with his new team to wipe away a sizable chunk of the statistical shine that made him an attractive target at the trade deadline. 

It's worse that the beating came from a division rival. The D-backs are directly in front of them in the NL Wild Card race. Arizona improved to 61-54, while San Diego fell to 59-56.

There's also the nagging groin issue he's been dealing with. His fastball velo was reportedly down about 1.5 mph in his final start with the Tigers. They then scratched him from his next scheduled outing as a precaution before trading him. The warning signs were out before Wednesday, and they matter even more after Arizona knocked him around.

Mize is learning a new organization, working with a new catcher and adjusting to a different pitching plan after an 11-day layoff. That’s worthwhile context. But the reality is the Padres don’t have time for an extended transition.

They have a two-month playoff push. And they need the pitcher who looked like an All-Star in Detroit, not someone searching for his command while the postseason race moves on without him.

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