Miles Mikolas has an ingenious plan to improve the Cardinals' future

The St. Louis Cardinals have not lived up to fans' annually lofty expectations over the past few seasons, and their struggles have clearly affected Busch Stadium's attendance. Normally among the top teams in the league at getting fans in the seats, the Cardinals have plummeted to 18th in ticket sales after missing the playoffs two seasons in a row.

Fans have made it abundantly clear that they will not tolerate a product that doesn't appear to have any effort put into it, and the owners have fired back by saying that it will be harder to put a competitive team on the field without income from fans in the stadium. It's reached a seemingly immovable stalemate, but one member of the Cardinals may have figured out the solution.

Miles Mikolas may have concocted a perfect remedy to aid next year's Cardinals team.

Mikolas has been a major factor in the rotation's struggles. Although he has had his share of solid starts, Mikolas holds a 5.11 ERA and, earlier in the season, received the shameful distinction of tying the major league record in home runs allowed in one game, with six against the Chicago Cubs.

Three days after another subpar start on Aug. 5, where he allowed five earned runs in three innings, Mikolas appeared on the St. Louis-based sports radio show "The Morning After" and was willing to take it on the nose from fans who have been fed up with his performance.

When jeers directed toward players were brought up, such as "drink bleach" and "launch him into the sun," Mikolas said that he couldn't care less about them, and he welcomed fans to come down to Busch Stadium and yell at him in person, surmising that any reason to get fans in the ballpark would help the Cardinals in 2026.

"If you want a better team next year, buy a ticket, come down to the stadium and boo me and support the payroll for next year if you really care," said Mikolas. "Buy a ticket and come boo me on the field so you can at least support the guys next year, and maybe they'll go out and get some free agents you want."

Cardinals fans don't tend to be in the same vein as fans from some other markets, such as Philadelphia. Booing and heckling aren't really in the DNA of Cardinals Nation, but those who want Mikolas booted off of the team are running out of time to make their complaints known to the team and to the Lizard King himself.

Mikolas will be a free agent after this season, and it's difficult to envision the Cardinals providing him another contract extension. So for those who want to give Mikolas a piece of their mind, there's an open invitation to do so. And you might just make the next Cardinals team a little better while you're at it.