Detroit Tigers: Casey Mize should stay at the alternate training site

The Detroit Tigers have a tough decision to make with Casey Mize, given the circumstances of this season.

The Detroit Tigers 2020 season has been a bit shocking, with a 5-5 record, the Tigers are showing that they have made significant improvements. However, the good news is on halt as the latest four-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals has been scrapped and postponed amid the pandemic.

This leaves the Tigers with 56 games on the schedule and four to be made up, which is nothing compared to what the Cardinals and Miami Marlins are dealing with. Providing the Tigers can stay COVID-19 free, it cuts a short season even shorter.

Given the demotion of Casey Mize from big league camp to the alternate training site, there was a bit of outcry about the move. Service time is the more significant issue here, and given some of the circumstances of keeping him in Toledo might have been the better choice.

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The Detroit Tigers should keep Casey Mize at the alternate training site in Toledo.

First things first, service time is the worst. Having service time even be relevant is an absolute sham and sucks for every organization, not just the Detroit Tigers.

So keeping Casey Mize down in Toledo was the smart move for his service time, and keeping him down there might be more intelligent.

To be clear, the Tigers have held Casey Mize out long enough for him to earn the extra season, which adjusts his free agency year.

Mize will not become a free agent until 2026 rather than in 2025. One year? It may seem a little much to delay his call-up for one-year, but there is a reason.

Mize was born on May 1, 1997, meaning he will turn 28 during the 2025 season, which would also likely mean one of his prime seasons could land him in free agency. To help avoid this, the Tigers pushed back his service time until 2026 by delaying his debut to the big leagues.

Most people are applauding since this means Mize can come up to the big leagues any day now. However, it might be smart to leave him be, and gain ANOTHER year of service time. If they keep him out of the 2020 season, they send the call-up Mize campaign into April of 2021.

This would mean they would keep him off the big league roster for a few starts, then bring him up and bump his service time further, delaying his free agency until the 2027 season. On top of all of this, is there a reason to bring up Mize in 2020, risking an arm injury? No.

Not to say that he couldn’t sustain an arm injury in Toledo, the offseason or even next year if he is kept off the big league roster until then. Frankly, with the continuing outbreak of COVID-19 affecting Major League Baseball, what is the point of bringing him up knowing he may only get a handful of starts?

Keep Casey Mize in Toledo at the alternate training site; it is not worth it for the Detroit Tigers to call him up in 2020.