When the San Diego Padres made their trade deadline deals to address the underperforming and injured starting rotation, it seemed like it singled-handedly guaranteed a spot in October.

The Padres were four games over .500 going into the deadline and had just won eight of their last nine contests. With the bullpen as reliable as ever and the offense starting to heat up, the rotation continued to stick out like a sore thumb.

That is almost exactly why the Padres flipped southpaws Kash Mayfield (No. 2 ranked in the Padres farm at the time) and Jackson Wolf for Detroit Tigers right-hander Casey Mize (and infielder/outfielder Gage Workman).

Despite the 29-year-old Mize coming off of his first All-Star campaign in 2025, as well as putting up a better season in 2026 with a 2.70 ERA through 16 starts before the deadline, he was nowhere near advertised as a member of the Padres.

In 10 forgettable starts for San Diego, Mize totaled a 7.46 ERA, a negative-1.3 bWAR (compared to 2.6 pre-trade) and allowed 37 earned runs in 44.2 frames. His third start as a Padre was one of two wins during his time on the roster, and the only time he gave up zero earned runs on the mound since the trade.

Not to mention, Mize's average fastball velocity sat about 1.3 mph slower than the year before.

Before the postseason began — with no guarantees that his 10 starts dictated a spot in October — a right ankle sprain sent him to the injured list and shut down his abysmal Padres campaign.

According to ESPN's Kiley McDaniel, Mize could now look to sign a one-year, $15 million deal to reset his value, a major improvement from the $1.8 million he made last season to avoid arbitration.

Assuming Mize is looking for a more lucrative, long-term deal, especially as he enters what should be the prime of his pitching powers, perhaps the one-year, prove it deal is the way to go to lessen the impact of his second half struggles in 2026.

The question is now if this one-year deal will be signed with — or even offered by — the Padres.

Recency bias makes any chance of a reunion in 2027 slim, but the state of San Diego's rotation can very well change that as the winter approaches.

If Mize is open to a potential discount from what McDaniel theorizes, and can start to look like his All-Star self once again, perhaps a full season in pinstripes will bring him more success.

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