Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Need To Cut Ties With $55 Million Pitcher After Brutal Outing

It's time the Cardinals cut ties with Miles Mikolas.
Zach Pressnell|
Apr 6, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas (39) pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the second inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images
Apr 6, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas (39) pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the second inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals seemingly entered a rebuild at the beginning of the offseason. They opted to part ways with a few veterans including Paul Goldschmidt, Kyle Gibson, and Lance Lynn. If this wasn't clear enough that they were beginning to rebuild, the team didn't go after any top free agents.

With this rebuild in mind, the Cardinals could be at the forefront of multiple huge moves this season. They could trade stars like Nolan Arenado and Ryan Helsley ahead of the 2025 MLB trade deadline. But the Cardinals need to cut ties with Miles Mikolas above anything else.

Mikolas, 36, is in the final season of his massive $55 million contract. The Cardinals owe the righty just under $20 million this season, but they might be eating the rest of this deal and cutting him, especially after his disastrous performance against the Boston Red Sox on Sunday Night Baseball.

Mikolas went just 2 2/3 innings and allowed 11 hits, nine runs, eight earned runs, and walked a batter. His fastball velocity is down near 90 miles per hour, and he can't generate very many swings and misses.

Cutting Mikolas would open up a roster spot for a prospect like Tink Hence or Quinn Mathews. While Mikolas has the advantage over these two because of his experience, the righty likely isn't a part of long-term future in St. Louis.

The Cardinals could also look to pair him in a trade with Helsley or Arenado in order to get another team to take on his contract instead. This would lower the prospect return in a deal for Helsley, but it would save St. Louis quite a bit of money this season.

Either way, the Cardinals need to cut ties with Mikolas. The sooner, the better.

More MLB: Popular Cardinals Trade Chip Suffers Concerning Collapse In Sunday's Loss

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Zach Pressnell
ZACH PRESSNELL

Zach Pressnell has experience covering all major US sports at both the professional and collegiate levels. He’s produced content for FanSided, Blog Red Machine, The Game Haus, Bethany College Athletics and the Bethany College online newspaper, He graduated from Bethany College (WV) with a degree in Communications and Media Arts, specializing in Sports Journalism. Pressnell was also a four-year member of the baseball team where he earned himself All-PAC recognition as a pitcher (and a cool Tommy John surgery scar). Now, Pressnell specializes in NFL and MLB coverage for Sports Illustrated’s “On SI” network among others. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "St. Louis Cardinals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org

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