Reports: Cardinals Sign Pitcher Miles Mikolas From Japan
The Cardinals may have missed out on Shohei Ohtani, but they have landed another talented pitcher from Japan.
According to multiple reports, St. Louis has signed Miles Mikolas, who spent the last three seasons with the Yomiuri Giants. The deal is for two years at $15.5 million, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports.
Mikolas, 29, had an underwhelming major-league career with the Padres and Giants. Though he cracked the big leagues at age 23, he had a 5.32 ERA and 1.430 WHIP in37 appearances between 2012 and 2014. He signed with Yomiuri in 2015 and found immediate success, posting a 1.92 ERA in 21 starts during his first season in Japan. He put up a 2.18 ERA, 0.994 WHIP and 5.48 strikeout-to-walk rate in three seasons with the club.
He is best known stateside for dousing a gecko in Mountain Dew and eating it, which led to the nickname “The Lizard King.”
[youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVfnAZBOT5U]
The Rangers were among other suitors for Mikolas, who wanted to incorporate him in a six-man rotation with Shohei Ohtani, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports. The Cubs, Brewers and A’s were also said to be interested.
