Sometimes the best trade is the one you don't make. The Atlanta Braves were blitzed by their fanbase for not being more aggressive at this year's trade deadline, especially in the starting pitching market. The failed Jacob deGrom trade is the headliner from early August, but it's another starting pitcher that Atlanta really dodged a bullet on.
Former Tigers starter Casey Mize was a name floated to Atlanta in several hypothetical trades, but ultimately the former 1.1 pick was dealt to the Padres. At the time, seeing pitchers like Mize, Jose Soriano, and Kevin Gausman traded felt like the Braves were missing out on some great additions. Instead, Atlanta's trade for Tyler Mahle is holding up much better than the deal for Casey Mize, as San Diego fights for the final NL wild card spot.
Juan Brito smashes his first career home run to tie it for the @Reds! pic.twitter.com/0aj2pzQp1N
— MLB (@MLB) September 2, 2026
Casey Mize's struggles in San Diego prove Alex Anthopoulos kept the Braves from acquiring a flawed arm
Mize never really lived up to the number one overall selection hype, but he was enjoying a nice 2026 season with Detroit before he was traded. With a sub-3.00 ERA and FIP, Mize generated real buzz at the deadline. However, that all changed once Mize made his way to San Diego. In seven starts with the Padres, Mize has a 6.34 ERA and FIP, 6.1 K/9, and -0.8 bWAR. Mize was supposed to be the Padres' difference maker, but instead he's actively hurting San Diego's chances at the final wild card spot.
Acquiring Mize wasn't cheap either, as San Diego parted with its No. 2 prospect to make the deal happen. Meanwhile, Tyler Mahle has slotted perfectly into Atlanta's rotation behind Chris Sale at a much more forgiving acquisition cost. Justified panic set in across Braves Country when minimal trade deadline moves were made, but as time has passed, we have learned that Mahle and Tarik Skubal were the two best pitchers moved based on numbers since the deadline.
Say what you want about the trades (or non-trades) surrounding Atlanta's offense, Alex Anthopoulos clearly has a knack for finding pitchers prime for a turnaround. Mahle proved Anthopoulos right in his decision, and with each Casey Mize start, Anthopoulos' strategy to bypass notable trade deadline arms only gets further solidified.
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