Dream St. Louis Cardinals starting rotation if John Mozeliak’s gets creative
By Mark Powell
St. Louis Cardinals No. 3 starter: RHP, Miles Mikolas
There shouldn't be much turnover within the Cardinals rotation from last season to 2024, and for good reason. However, if there's one pitcher who has proven they belong in St. Louis, it's Miles Mikolas.
Yes, Mikolas struggled at times last year, finishing the season with a 4.78 ERA. However, he's just a year removed from an NL All-Star appearance and a 3.29 ERA. Assuming he can find that level of play again, he'll be an asset to Oli Marmol as a No. 3 starting pitcher. Redbird Rants' Josh Jacobs had an explanation for Mikolas's struggles, and thinks a bounce-back season could be in order:
"Part of the reason for Mikolas' struggles though is the fact that the Cardinals did ride him so deep into ball games so often. They really relied on Mikolas to give them 6+ innings every time out, even if that meant giving up a few extra runs," Jacobs wrote. "I do not expect Mikolas to be an All-Star again like he was in 2022, but if he can give them a sub-4.50 ERA with 200 innings once again, that would be huge for the back of that rotation."
Mikolas will not be expected to lead the pitching staff, nor should he be. But he can provide useful innings in the middle of the rotation, and frankly that ought to be enough.