Miles Mikolas Out? Cardinals Pushed To Replace Veteran

Kyle Leahy is a better option than Miles Mikolas...

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

The St. Louis Cardinals have put together quite an up-and-down season. As of late, it's been a lot of down with very little to be excited about.

St. Louis recently hit the trade deadline rather hard, trading away a trio of talented relievers to land a few solid prospects. But the more important note here is that the Cardinals are practically waving the white flag on the season, which means they could move on from struggling veterans like Miles Mikolas in the coming weeks.

Mikolas sits on an expiring contract with a no-trade clause, so the Cardinals were unable to move him. But at this point, he's a lost cause in St. Louis. His starts are typically uncompetitive, and St. Louis has no reason to continue using him, considering he's almost certainly not a part of its future plans.

Thomas Gauvain of Redbird Rants recently suggested the Cardinals could replace Mikolas with relief pitcher Kyle Leahy to finish the season.

Kyle Leahy would be a better option than Miles Mikolas

Jul 5, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Kyle Leahy (62) is relieved during the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

"Leahy started the year off strong with a 1.02 ERA in 17.2 innings in the month of April. He was roughed up in May and June with ERAs of 3.00 and 4.40, respectively. Since then, Leahy has righted the ship," Gauvain wrote. "He finished July with a 2.63 ERA in 13.2 innings (16 strikeouts), and his August has been even hotter.

"Kyle Leahy probably isn't stretched out enough right now to go five or six innings, but he could easily throw 60 pitches in an outing given sufficient rest. He should immediately take Miles Mikolas's next turn in the rotation to help the Cardinals down the stretch. Consider it his audition for the 2026 starting rotation."

Leahy has been solid for the Cardinals this year. Through 62 2/3 innings, the righty has allowed 48 hits and issued 19 walks. His ERA is well below 3.00, and his WHIP sits right around 1.00, but these are all relief appearances. Starting is a completely different animal.

At the end of the day, this kind of move would be less about winning more games this season and more about planning for next season. If there's a chance the Cardinals want to use Leahy in the rotation in 2026, it would be very smart to give him a shot at it to end this year.

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