Former reviled Cardinals starter finds new home while clinging to career

Few words struck as much fear into St. Louis Cardinals fans over the past three seasons as "Miles Mikolas." Cardinals supporters may have awakened in cold sweats over the offseason after nightmares that the team would decide to engage in one final tango with the right-handed pitcher and re-sign him for 2026. However, those fans can finally sleep peacefully, as Mikolas has just latched on with a new team whose fans he can haunt.

The Washington Nationals have signed Miles Mikolas.

A member of the Cardinals for eight seasons, Mikolas was signed out of Japan in 2018, and he made an immediate impact, leading the National League in wins with 18 and pitching to a stellar 2.83 ERA. He earned his first of two All-Star nods, his second coming in 2022. It all came crashing down in 2023 after signing a two-year extension with St. Louis, when he held a 4.78 ERA, and he bottomed out in 2024, pitching to a 5.35 ERA in 171.2 agonizing innings. His 2025 was a minor rebound, as his ERA was 4.84, but his FIP was a career-worst 5.03.

Long celebrated for his control and ability to limit walks, Mikolas is now a relic of a bygone era. His pitch-to-contact approach that the Cardinals long coveted is no longer a realistic way to succeed in modern baseball, and his dismal 12.7% opposing barrel rate in 2025 was a reminder of that. His lowest point in 2025 came against the rival Chicago Cubs, where Mikolas managed to serve up six home runs in three innings.

Mikolas' brash statements and confident demeanor over the past few years ruffled the feathers of many Cardinals fans, who wanted to see him back up his comments on the mound. Prior to his disastrous 2024 season, Mikolas said that he would like to tell his doubters to "eat s**t," and following a loss in 2025 in a game where he surrendered two home runs, he downplayed his mediocre performance and said he was just a victim of bad luck.

The Nationals will have their work cut out for them as they attempt to squeeze some long-gone juice from Mikolas. Maybe he can strike out a few more batters and be a serviceable starting pitcher for a team that, like the Cardinals, is expected to go nowhere in 2026, but more likely, they won't be teaching this 37-year-old Lizard King any new tricks.