Why Cardinals Are Justified in Letting 10-Year Veteran Depart

The St. Louis Cardinals have experienced a mass exodus of players this offseason. They have shipped out Brendan Donovan, Sonny Gray, Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras and have chosen to focus on their youth for the next couple of years. But those aren't the only players to leave.

On Wednesday, veteran right-hander Miles Mikolas signed a one-year contract with the Washington Nationals. He had struggled in his final three seasons with the Cardinals, and he went 8-11 with a 4.84 ERA in 31 starts last year.

Ultimately, new president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom made the right decision to not bring him back. Here's why.

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It was time to move on from Mikolas

Sep 26, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas (39) delivers a pitch against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The numbers certainly don't lie. Mikolas was an All-Star twice with St. Louis, but he ultimately dealt with a lot of injuries and missed the entire 2020 season, as well as most of 2021. The Cardinals first signed him after three years in Japan, and he was their best starting pitcher in 2018, but after being awarded an extension the following year, things started to go south.

Ultimately though, this is a smart move by Chaim Bloom, and it's a stark contrast to how former executive John Mozeliak operated. After the team went 71-91 in 2023, Mozeliak's solution to bolstering the pitching staff was to add Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson, both of whom were past their prime and retired the next year. Gray was also added, but now even he is gone.

Lynn and Gibson, much like Mikolas, were pitch-to-contact pitchers, and that ultimately didn't help the Cardinals much. Instead of adding pitch-to-contact arms, Bloom chose to add a high-upside arm in Dustin May, who is coming off several injuries but still has a lot of potential and is only 28 years old.

Mikolas is now 37 years old and well past his prime, so bringing him back would not have made sense for St. Louis. His numbers are what they are, and while May struggled in 2025, Mikolas had been struggling for years.

Ultimately, it's a difference between Bloom and Mozeliak's philosophies. Bloom targeted upside, while Mozeliak tended to choose pitch-to-contact arms later in his tenure, but Bloom made the right decision to not bring Mikolas back for 2026.

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