The St. Louis Cardinals have a lot of tough decisions to make in the near future. There are some trade pieces on their roster who could be moved in the offseason, but St. Louis also has a free agent to make a decision on this winter.
Josh Jacobs of Redbird Rants recently suggested pitcher Miles Mikolas was heading into his final home series with the Cardinals. Mikolas is slated to pitch on Saturday, September 20, in what could be his final home appearance as a Cardinal.
Sep 8, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas (39) throws against the Seattle Mariners during the second inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
“The Cardinals desperately need a breath of fresh air for their rotation moving forward. Fans won’t take another year of having Mikolas in the rotation. It’s time for the club to add different kinds of arms to their mix while also keeping space open for young arms to have opportunities at the big league level,” Jacobs wrote. “Since 2023, Mikolas ranks in the bottom ten in baseball in ERA, xERA, K%, and batting average allowed. I wouldn’t be surprised to see another team add him as a rubber arm for next year, but he’s not the kind of arm that benefits the Cardinals anymore.
“The Cardinals need stuff in their rotation. If they are going to sign pitchers to free agent contracts, they should be taking chances on guys who could surprise them, not someone who could just eat innings. The state of Cardinals pitching is bad right now, and while the stable of MLB-ready arms caught the injury bug this year, they need to keep providing chances for young arms to snag rotation spots.”
Mikolas should have been cut a year or two ago. He’s consistently been one of the worst starting pitchers in baseball, and the Cardinals have been forced to keep minor league prospects in Triple-A because of their unwavering loyalty to the veteran.
The righty has been a net-negative to the Cardinals for multiple years while bringing in nearly $20 million a season. The Cardinals should have cut ties long ago, but with his contract running out at the end of the season, there’s next to zero chance St. Louis signs him to a new deal.
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