The St. Louis Cardinals, formerly one of the National League’s constant playoff challengers, are in a scenario that is unprecedented in the team’s recent history.
The Cardinals entered play on Tuesday three games under.500 (68-71) and are now in fourth place in the NL Central, 17.0 games behind the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers and 5.5 behind the Cincinnati Reds for a wild-card slot. While the franchise’s on-field product has lagged behind that of previous years, its off-field product is probably much worse, since the Cardinals are currently dealing with attendance concerns at Busch stadium.
Improving the on-field product is one approach to address attendance issues, and a team reporter believes that parting ways with starting pitcher Miles Mikolas could assist in that respect.
Moving Mikolas could provide more opportunities for the Cardinals’ up-and-coming talents
According to Stephen Parello of Redbird Rants, Mikolas is one of three current Cardinals players the club should consider trading before the end of the 2025 season, allowing players in the club’s long-term plans to gain big-league experience.
“Things haven’t gone as Miles Mikolas and the Cardinals had hoped when the two parties agreed on a second contract extension for the 2023 season. Mikolas, an All-Star with the Redbirds in 2018 and 2022, declined significantly in 2023, posting a 4.78 ERA. 2024 was even worse, with a 5.35 ERA, and the 37-year-old hasn’t improved at all in 2025, registering a 5.17 ERA in his final year of contract,” Parello noted.
“With youngsters like Quinn Mathews looking promising down at Triple-A Memphis, it’s time to expedite the divorce between the organization and Mikolas and give the veteran a head start on deciding what his future holds.”
In addition to his high ERA (which has dropped slightly to 5.04 after a five-inning start against the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 28), Mikolas has a 6-10 record and a 1.35 WHIP this year. He has also has 86 strikeouts and 32 walks in 130.1 innings pitched over 26 starts.
