Cardinals Starter Has Uncertain Future After 8 Years In St. Louis

Will the St. Louis Cardinals have to fill the spot in the rotation?

Apr 24, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; A view of St. Louis Cardinals players hats and gloves in the dugout during a game with the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-Imagn Images | David Kohl-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals fortunately don't have to worry about too many internal free agents this offseason.

That is because, of course, the Cardinals traded the majority of their pending free agents away ahead of the trade deadline this past summer. That included Ryan Helsley, Steven Matz, and Phil Maton who are all now free agents. The only pending free agent the Cardinals kept was Miles Mikolas, but he is also now a free agent with the World Series officially over.

MLB.com's Todd Zolecki pointed out that players officially hit free agency the day after the World Series, but cannot sign with a team until the fifth day afterward.

"Officially, players become free agents the day after the end of the World Series," Zolecki said. "It could be Saturday, if the Blue Jays win Game 6 on Friday night. Or it will be Sunday, if the Dodgers force a Game 7. Free agents cannot sign with a new team until 5 p.m. ET on the fifth day after the conclusion of the World Series. Teams can re-sign their own players at any point during that five-day period, although it rarely happens."

Should the Cardinals re-sign Miles Mikolas?

Sep 20, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas (39) pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The Dodgers won the World Series in seven games, meaning Mikolas officially hit free agency on Sunday. So, what now?

Mikolas has been a polarizing figure in St. Louis over the last few years. The thing that he does very well is eat up innings. With Mikolas, he's durable and you know he's going to take the mound each time through the rotation. That is valuable in itself. But, what has made him polarizing is despite this skill -- which is important -- he hasn't had below a 4.78 ERA since 2022 and has given up at least 26 homers each season over the last three years.

He has made it clear that he would like to return and MLB.com's John Denton didn't close the door on the possibility.

Zolecki noted that teams can re-sign their own players during this window of time before the fifth day after the World Series. While this is the case, it would be surprising to see the Cardinals make a move right now.

If the Cardinals trade Sonny Gray away and need multiple veteran hurlers, it would make sense to circle back. But, at 37 years old, coming off a season with a 4.84 ERA, there's likely no rush. Mikolas has been with the organization since before the 2018 season. If this is the end of his road in town, it was a wild ride.

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