As the St. Louis Cardinals are currently taking on the Chicago Cubs in a 3-game series this week, the news broke that a former two-time All-Star pitcher who used to play for St. Louis was released by his current team.
A couple of days ago, the Washington Nationals decided to cut ties with Miles Mikolas after he reached 10 years of MLB service time.
Well, on Friday, reports surfaced that Mikolas has officially been released by the Nationals and is now a free agent.
MLBTR.com’s Anthony Franco wrote: “The Nationals have requested unconditional release waivers on Mikolas, per a club announcement. He’ll be a free agent once he clears.”
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Miles Mikolas’s Tenure with the Cardinals
GettyST LOUIS, MISSOURI – SEPTEMBER 20: Miles Mikolas #39 of the St. Louis Cardinals delivers a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning at Busch Stadium on September 20, 2025 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
St. Louis Cardinals fans should remember Miles Mikolas very well, as he spent parts of seven seasons with the organization and was named to two MLB All-Star teams.
Across 203 starts with the Cards (1161 innings), Mikolas boasted an ERA of 4.16 with 833 strikeouts and an ERA+ of 98. He was never a high strikeout arm in baseball; for several years in the middle of his career, Mikolas did really know how to miss barrels. However, towards the later stages of his career, he left the ball over the plate one too many times.
He was an All-Star in 2018 and 2022.
In 2022, he finished the season with an ERA of 3.29 across 32 starts and 200+ innings pitched.
In 2018, he boasted an ERA of 2.83 across 32 starts and led the NL with 18 pitcher wins.
While he did deal with some injuries over the course of his career, as all pitchers do, Mikolas was a very durable arm with several campaigns of 30+ starts, especially with the Cardinals.
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Taking a Glance at Mikolas’s Full Career
GettyPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – AUGUST 06: Miles Mikolas #36 of the Washington Nationals delivers a pitch in the first inning during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on August 6, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
Miles Mikolas pitched in 11 total seasons in MLB.
Aside from the Cardinals, he spent one year (2026) with the Washington Nationals, one year with the Rangers, and two seasons with the Padres.
With the Nationals this season, Mikolas boasted an ERA of 5.82 across 116 innings. So case and point: he wasn’t very effective this season, but he still went out and game the Nats innings throughout the year, which does hold some value.
Looking at his full career, over 224 total starts, he carries an ERA of 4.37 with 953 strikeouts.
If he decides to hang up the cleats after receiving a lifetime pension from MLB for 10+ years of service time, it would be considered a solid career for the 37-year-old from Jupiter, Florida.
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