Sep 2, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas (39) pitches against the Athletics during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Cardinals Predicted To Finally Cut Ties With $55 Million All-Star

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Zach Pressnell | Last updated Sep 6, 2025 1:57 PM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals are looking to rebuild this offseason and they're going to be faced with some tough decisions in the process.

St. Louis has a few potential trade candidates to explore moving. It also has a few players it could cut ties with. Beyond that, the Cardinals could look to add some talent in free agency or in a trade this winter. The possibilities are endless.

FanSided's Christopher Kline recently predicted the Cardinals would cut ties with veteran pitcher Miles Mikolas during the offseason. Mikolas is the only Cardinals free agent this offseason, and it should be a very cut-and-dry decision for the front office to make.

Miles Mikolas is on his way out of St. Louis this winter

Tim Vizer-Imagn Images

"Miles Mikolas is the only Cardinals' free agent this winter, which is an indicator of just how much of John Mozeliak's baggage Chaim Bloom needs to dig out from under," Kline wrote. "The Cards are saddled with expensive long-term contracts, no-trade clauses and a general air of unhappiness around the organization.

"As for Mikolas, this is really a no-brainer. St. Louis has been clinging on to an ideal for years, but Mikolas has not achieved sustained excellence since that magical 18-4 campaign upon his return from Japan in 2018. He made another All-Star appearance in 2022, but even that season was a bit lopsided, a bit inconsistent. In 2025, Mikolas is only playing because he's expensive: His 4.89 ERA and 1.34 WHIP appropriately convey what the Cardinals are getting out of him. At 37 years old, one wonders if Mikolas might consider retirement. If not, he may struggle to find a new team."

Mikolas has been one of the worst qualified pitchers in baseball for the last few years. To make matters worse, the Cardinals have been stuck paying him nearly $20 million a year. It's been one of the worst contracts in the sport, but fortunately for the Cardinals, it runs out at the end of the year.

There's next to zero percent chance the Cardinals will bring Mikolas back. Honestly, they should have cut ties with him months ago. There was even an argument to be made that the Cardinals could have cut him last year. Either way, it's very unlikely he plays another game in St. Louis beyond 2025.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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