Roster Shake-Up? Cardinals Pushed To Cut Ties With All-Star Pitcher

The St. Louis Cardinals' front office has practically waved the white flag on the season, but the players aren't seeming to get the message. While the front office sold at the deadline and refuses to call up a few top prospects, the players have continued to win games, keeping the team a few games out of the third wild card spot in the National League.

Now, there's a move the Cardinals could make that would make the team better this season and in the future.

FanSided's Lior Lampert recently urged the Cardinals to cut ties with veteran pitcher Miles Mikolas in favor of dominant top prospect Quinn Mathews ahead of the end of the season.

Cutting ties with Miles Mikolas makes sense for the Cardinals

Jul 30, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas (39) throws against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images | Jeff Le-Imagn Images

"Mikolas led the Cardinals to the lone win in their best-of-three clash with the Rockies, but that's besides the point. Turning 37 in August and on an expiring contract, he's been erratic to the point that Redbird Nation wouldn't mind him expediting the retirement process," Lampert wrote. "Sitting at 61-61 after a 6-5 loss in Colorado, St. Louis is riding the treadmill of mediocrity and operated as sellers at this year's trade deadline. Why are they hanging onto an aging hurler who's far removed from his previous All-Star form?

"Mathews is the No. 5-ranked player in St. Louis' farm system. He's fared well at Triple-A Memphis this season, particularly of late, and seems worthy of a promotion, particularly for a team with little-to-no playoff hopes. The talented young southpaw has gone 1-1 with a dazzling 1.78 ERA and 34 strikeouts over his last 5 starts (25.1 innings)."

It makes no sense to continue holding onto Mikolas through the end of the year. They're going to pay him whether or not he plays in St. Louis. Since he's not helping the team win, cutting ties makes more sense.

This also opens a spot in the rotation for Matthews, who's been dominant in Triple-A for the most part. The southpaw still has a bit of a walk problem, but he's likely to be called up to St. Louis by opening day next year. Bringing him up now would allow him to get his feet wet before throwing him into the fire in 2026.

At the end of the day, Mikolas isn't productive and the Cardinals almost certainly aren't re-signing him. Cutting ties with him would open up a roster spot for a top prospect and make the current team better.

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