Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals' Next DFA Candidate Is Painfully Obvious

The Cardinals need to cut ties with a veteran pitcher...
Zach Pressnell|
Jul 10, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas (39) tips his cap to the fans after he was removed from the game against the Washington Nationals during the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Jul 10, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas (39) tips his cap to the fans after he was removed from the game against the Washington Nationals during the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals recently made the tough decision to designate veteran pitcher Erick Fedde for assignment during a tough stretch of starts. This move goes to show the Cardinals are seemingly ready to be proactive rather than reactive at the trade deadline.

Since Fedde wasn't making the team better, the Cardinals got rid of him, which is a stark contrast to what's seemingly expected at the big-league level. A lot of times, players like Fedde skate by on the roster until their contracts run out.

The next DFA candidate is painfully obvious for the Cardinals. FanSided's Christopher Kline recently urged the Cardinals to "cut bait" with starting pitcher Miles Mikolas after the Fedde decision.

"Miles Mikolas has reached the end of his three-year, $55.8 million contract in St. Louis. Right now, it seems like he will finish out the campaign with the team, but only because no one will trade for him," Kline wrote. "The Cardinals would be smart to show him the door, Fedde style, if nothing materializes over the next week. It's time to give the youngsters like Gordon Graceffo and Michael McGreevy a try on the mound.

"Mikolas, a two-time All-Star, has spent seven of his 10 MLB seasons in a Cardinals uniform. He's just a familiar face at this point. While he put together some impressive campaigns at Busch Stadium and earned his share of salary, his latest contract has turned into a sunk cost."

It's beyond time to part ways with Mikolas. Although he's a familiar face and on a massive contract, he's actively making the team worse while taking up a spot in the rotation that could be used by a younger guy.

Cutting ties with Mikolas would help the team right now by putting a better product on the field. It would also help the team in the future by getting a younger pitcher more reps at the big-league level. It makes perfect sense.

More MLB: Cardinals Pushed To Cut Ties With $260 Million Star After Erick Fedde DFA

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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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