5 Cardinals most at risk of being traded this offseason

#4 - Miles Mikolas

It is time for the Miles Mikolas era to end in St. Louis. Maybe this is wishful thinking, but I am at least somewhat convincing myself that the Cardinals will agree with that too.

Mikolas' extension was a major mistake by the club. I understand that having only one starter under contract for 2024 prior to the beginning of last season was a weird place to be in, but that doesn't mean you have to bring back Mikolas, especially on an early extension.

Since receiving that extension last spring, Mikolas has posted a 5.04 ERA in 66 starts, and while eating innings has been a calling card of his for the most part, the quality of those innings has continued to go downhill.

Mikolas is the starter I feel the least confident in when he steps on the mound right now, and there are multiple young arms who deserve the chance to start over him like Michael McGreevy, Quinn Mathews, and others waiting in the wings. If St. Louis is planning on bringing back any of Gibson, Lynn, or Matz, it makes very little sense to have Mikolas stick around.

For as bad as Mikolas has been, I do believe there will be teams interested in adding him at a reduced contract. The fact that he does make 30+ starts consistently is an asset for contending clubs who want a bit of stability, and if the Cardinals pay down the majority of that approximately $18 million he is owed for 2025, clubs will take a chance on him.

Most free agent starters at this point can expect contracts in the range of $8 million to $13 million a year minimum, and if you don't believe me, just go back and look at the numbers free agents got last season. If the Cardinals pay down even $11 million of Mikolas' salary, a contending club could get a guy who will give them 30+ starts on a 4.50 ERA, which is not anything to write home about but has value in today's game.

Just go look at a team like the Los Angeles Dodgers who was flooded with injuries this year. Having a Mikolas to make starts for them throughout the year would have helped them weather the storm when arms were dropping left and right. Mikolas would not be a factor for them in postseason baseball, but his value in the regular season is real.

For a team like the Cardinals, they need more upside in their rotation. They already have plenty of guys who are back-end of the rotation starters. But these elite rotations like the Dodgers already have Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani, Clayton Kershaw, and a multitude of young arms who struggle with injuries themselves. They actually need a few guys they can rely on to make starts for them in June and July, knowing that they hold no value once October comes.

It's time for St. Louis to say goodbye to Mikolas. They won't get anything of substance in return for him, but shedding as much salary as they can will be worth it.