As the St. Louis Cardinals prepare for what could be a multi-season rebuild, they’re faced with a decision regarding their longest-serving pitcher.
Miles Mikolas, who rejoined MLB in 2018 after three years in Japan, has been with the Cardinals ever since. While he’s earned two All-Star selections during his tenure, his performance in recent seasons has largely been that of a dependable but unspectacular innings eater.
Pitchers who give their teams 150-plus innings no matter what are still valuable even when they give up a lot of runs, but with Mikolas entering his age-37 campaign, the idea that he could remain in St. Louis looks tenuous entering the offseason.
Mikolas would ‘want to be’ in St. Louis
Regardless, it’s clear that Mikolas has a deep appreciation for the Cardinals organization and would be eager to remain with the team if given the opportunity. He shared that sentiment during a recent interview with FOX 2’s Martin Kilcoyne.
“My time here’s been so great,” Mikolas told Kilcoyne. “Obviously, staying here in St. Louis would always be a priority. I love the stadium, the fans. I love these guys on this team. I’ve seen a lot of guys come up and mature, and it’s fun. I have a lot of friends on the team and in the city, and it’s no secret that with spring training down in my hometown, too, that St. Louis is the place I’d want to be.”
Mikolas was realistic as well, acknowledging that he may well have thrown his last pitch in a red and white uniform.
“It’s a little sad, but with every turning of a page comes a new page, right?” Mikolas told Kilcoyne. “There’s always that sense of optimism, you know, ‘Where could I end up? What could next year hold in store for me?” New friends, new places, which is always fun for me as well, but it is sad a litle bit.”
Mikolas totaled a 4.16 ERA in seven seasons with the Cardinals, but that mark was above 4.70 in each of the last three seasons. His three-year, $55.8 million extension with the Cardinals proved to be a disastrous expenditure, but it’s possible someone will take a one-year flier on him as a bulk-oriented No. 5 starter.
Leave a Reply