It is important to assess all strengths and weaknesses when the offseason of any sport, no matter the level, comes around, as it is the only way to get better. For the Detroit Tigers, there is one man who is constantly stealing the show, their ace Tarik Skubal.

Skubal has now won back-to-back Cy Young Awards, which is earned by the pitcher who is the most dominant throughout the season. So, when looking at the Tigers’ pitching staff (specifically the starting rotation), it is easy to see that Skubal was the Most Valuable Player; however, he wasn’t the only one who pitched and pitched well in 2025.

With Jack Flaherty in the lineup, it is easy to assume that he would be the frontrunner for a team Cy Young Award, but that isn’t necessarily the case, as Casey Mize just had the best year of his very young career.

Mize vs. Flaherty in 2025

Flaherty, who is now 30 years old, took on the lion’s share of starts with 31, but Mize was right behind him at 28, which is important to take into consideration when looking at the two. Flaherty had more strikeouts, but Mize was arguably the better pitcher this year, making him the team’s Cy Young pitcher had Skubal not been a member of the team.

3.87 ERA (trailed only Skubal amongst starters)
14-6 Record (most wins on the team)
139 Strikeouts (third-most)
36 Walks (23 less than Flaherty)
3 Hit Batters (fewest amongst starters)
1.27 WHIP (trailed only Skubal)

Flaherty, on the other hand, just finished his first full year with the team, where he went 8-15 with a 4.64 ERA, so even though he beat out Mize in both strikeouts and WHIP, Mize was the better all-around pitcher.

There is plenty of speculation surrounding what is going to happen with the Tigers’ starting rotation, as the Tigers are allegedly entertaining trade talks on Skubal. Surely management isn’t willing to deal away the best pitcher in the game, but only time will tell.

If Skubal is wrongly traded away, it is crystal clear who will step in to take on the workload for the pitching staff, and that is Mize. This was only his third full year as a starter, and he is proving to get better and better as time goes on.

This is going to be a huge offseason for the Tigers, but one thing is for certain: there is a lot to be excited about with the former No.1 pick.