Nolan Arenado was the subject of a winter full of St. Louis Cardinals trade rumors, but if there was one player that those fans really wanted John Mozeliak to move, it was Miles Mikolas, the veteran starter who had really struggled in back-to-back seasons. Cardinals fans might end up getting their wish by the time the trade deadline rolls around, but for a reason they could not have possibly expected: Mikolas is actually pitching well, for the now 13-17 Cardinals.
Mikolas started the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds and wound up throwing 5.1 scoreless innings. He allowed just three hits and struck out four batters while not issuing a single walk.
Starts like these will make Mikolas an intriguing candidate to get traded in July, assuming the Cardinals are out of postseason contention.
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Miles Mikolas is turning himself into Cardinals trade candidate in a way nobody expected
From taking a quick glance at his season ERA, Cardinals fans might think this has been the same old Mikolas. He entered Wednesday's action with a 5.70 ERA in five starts, and this outing brought that down to a still underwhelming 4.66. That number might not look great, but it's so high in large part due to one rough outing in particular.
Mikolas has now allowed three runs or fewer in five of his six starts, with that one blow-up start as the lone exception. He has a sub-3.00 ERA in those other appearances. This includes starts against potent offenses like the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves.
Is his solid start sustainable? That can be debated. He's striking out very few while walking more than he's accustomed to, and he has not allowed a single home run yet. When the ball starts to carry more in warmer weather, Mikolas might run into some trouble.
If he continues pitching well, though, and the Cardinals are sellers, there likely will be a market for the veteran right-hander, even if it's a small one. The Cardinals will likely have to eat some of the $17.6 million he's owed, but this is the final year of his deal. There is always demand for starting pitching, and even if the return isn't great, it'll be better than anyone could've expected entering the year — which is a huge plus for the retooling Redbirds.