The St. Louis Cardinals, who trail the New York Mets by four games for the final NL Wild Card spot, are set to host the New York Yankees for a three-game series this weekend.
Their postseason hopes took a hit after losing two of three games to the struggling Colorado Rockies. The lone win came in the opener, a 3-2 victory behind a solid start from veteran Miles Mikolas, who gave up two earned runs on four hits with three strikeouts over 6.2 innings.
Despite the 36-year-old’s effort, the Cardinals could explore replacing him with another pitcher from within the organization.
Should the Cardinals Release Miles Mikolas?
On Wednesday, FanSided’s Lior Lampert criticized the St. Louis Cardinals for their reluctance to part ways with Miles Mikolas, pointing to the veteran pitcher’s declining performance late in his 10-year MLB career.
Lampert noted that Mikolas, who turns 37 in August and is on an expiring contract, has been so inconsistent that many fans wouldn’t mind seeing him retire sooner rather than later. With the Cardinals sitting at 61-61 after a 6-5 loss to Colorado and already acting as sellers at the trade deadline, he questioned why the team is keeping an aging arm far removed from his All-Star days.
So far this year, Mikolas has a 6-9 record with a 4.97 ERA, averaging six strikeouts per nine innings. His 17% whiff rate is among the worst in baseball, and opponents are hitting .327 against his four-seam fastball, which he throws 28% of the time.
Lampert compared the situation to St. Louis’ decision to move Erick Fedde’s contract to the Braves, which freed up a rotation spot for top prospect Michael McGreevy. While McGreevy has had mixed results, Lampert argued that giving younger pitchers opportunities is better than holding onto struggling veterans.
Who would replace Miles Mikolas in the rotation?
Middle infielder JJ Wetherholt sits atop the St. Louis Cardinals’ prospect rankings, with 2025 first-round pick Liam Doyle coming in at No. 2 on MLB Pipeline’s list. Doyle is still several years from reaching the majors.
One pitching prospect who could debut sooner is Stanford product Quinn Matthews, a 24-year-old left-hander currently with Triple-A Memphis.
“Mathews is the No. 5 prospect in St. Louis’ system,” Lampert noted. “He’s performed well in Memphis this year—especially recently—and appears ready for a call-up, particularly for a team with minimal playoff chances. Over his last five starts (25.1 innings), the talented southpaw has gone 1-1 with an impressive 1.78 ERA and 34 strikeouts.”
If the Cardinals part ways with Mikolas, Matthews could be among the leading candidates to fill his rotation spot. With time running short in the postseason race, Lampert believes moving on from Mikolas could be the first step toward turning things around.
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