Padres must resist Casey Mize reunion after Giants landing spot prediction

Would Casey Mize becoming a San Francisco Giant be annoying? Maybe. But bringing him back to San Diego wouldn’t be a good idea either. Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller ranked the Giants as Mize’s best landing spot in free agency, projecting his market around one year and $10 million or two years and $20 million. San Francisco certainly needs him. Its projected rotation starts with Logan Webb and Landen Roupp before wandering into several crossed fingers.

Mize also fits the Giants’ preferred shopping aisle. They have spent recent seasons handing short-term contracts to starters who could settle into the middle of a rotation if their health and performance cooperate. Alex Cobb, Alex Wood, Anthony DeSclafani, Sean Manaea, Ross Stripling, Jordan Hicks, Tyler Mahle and Adrian Houser all arrived on some version of that.

San Francisco can place another one there with Mize. The Padres have already seen enough of him.

Mize reached San Diego at the trade deadline carrying a 2.70 ERA across 16 starts for Detroit. A.J. Preller paid accordingly, sending 2024 first-round pick Kash Mayfield and Jackson Wolf to the Tigers for Mize and Gage Workman.

Then the wheels fell off. Mize posted a 7.46 ERA in 10 starts for the Padres, surrendered 13 home runs in 44 2/3 innings and finished the regular season on the IL with a right ankle sprain.

Now are they supposed to get interested again because the price has fallen? Nope.

Padres need innings they can trust from their next rotation addition

The temptation makes sense for the Friars. They enter the offseason short on starters, and Mize’s collapse probably knocked his salary into a range the Padres can reach. The front office knows him well enough. Pitching coach Ruben Niebla has worked with him. And his strong first half with Detroit isn’t nothing.

However, the sales pitch may not work. Joe Musgrove returned during the postseason after missing two regular seasons, but the Padres still need to see him rebuild into a full starter’s workload. Yu Darvish hasn’t decided whether he will attempt a comeback from elbow surgery. Nick Pivetta was excellent after returning from a flexor strain, although San Diego must decide whether to exercise the two-year, $32 million club option created by his extended injured-list stay. Michael King can opt out and become one of the market’s most coveted starters.

There is already enough medical paperwork on the depth chart. Maybe they shouldn’t add another question mark. They need someone with a track record of staying healthy.

Maybe San Francisco signs him and unlocks the Detroit version. If that happens, the Padres will definitely hear about it. It still beats paying him out of anxiety.

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