The St. Louis Cardinals still have life in the National League Wild Card race, even after selling at the trade deadline. They shipped out rental relievers Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton and Steven Matz this summer, and have seemingly turned their focus to a rebuild, but their chances at making the postseason, while slim, are very much alive.
With a win on Monday, St. Louis came to within three games of the final Wild Card spot, currently occupied by the New York Mets.
As they rebuild, they might be saying goodbye to some familiar faces. Miles Mikolas is a free agent at the end of the year and has struggled for the third consecutive season. In fact, Mikolas himself may not be in Major League Baseball for much longer, according to Johnny Flores Jr. of The Athletic.
"With Steven Matz, Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton and Erick Fedde out of the picture, Mikolas is the only Cardinal that will hit free agency at season’s end. The 36-year-old right-hander is three seasons removed from his last All-Star season; however, he still profiles as a durable innings eater. Since returning from Japan in 2018, Mikolas has made at least 32 starts in a full 162-game season, including a league-leading 35 starts in 2023. Depending on how things shake out, though, Mikolas might not be long for MLB, as he recently told Sports Hochi that he’d like to return to NPB," Flores wrote.
Mikolas has pitched mostly well at home, but his road numbers have sunk him this season. In 23 starts, the veteran right-hander is 6-9 with a 4.97 ERA in 117 2/3 innings of work. St. Louis gave him a two-year contract extension back in 2023, which has not worked out to this point.
But Mikolas may have another chance to revitalize his career if he goes back overseas to pitch. Chances of him returning to the Cardinals in 2026 are very slim, especially with Chaim Bloom taking over for John Mozeliak as president of baseball operations.
The Cardinals might be best served going young with one of their final spots with pitchers such as Kyle Leahy or top prospect Quinn Mathews.
MIkolas was a two-time All-Star during his time in St. Louis earning nods in 2018 and 2022. But he hasn't quite been the same since his second All-Star appearance.
We'll see where the veteran right-hander ends up in 2026,
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