The Washington Nationals made an addition to the rotation, inking Miles Mikolas to a one-year deal. Jake Mintz of Yahoo Sports was first to report the agreement. The right-hander will earn a base salary of $2.25 million with the opportunity to make more through incentives, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Left-hander DJ Herz went to the 60-day IL to open up a spot on the 40-man roster for Mikolas. Herz underwent Tommy John surgery in April. There is no timetable for his return. Given the typical recovery time for the procedure, Herz was unlikely to contribute in the first half of the year.
Mikolas is a 10-year veteran with more than 1,200 MLB innings to his name. The 37-year-old had spent the past seven seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals. Mikolas signed a three-year, $55.75 million contract extension with the club back in 2023. He posted an ERA above 4.75 in all three seasons of the deal, but did deliver consistent volume. Mikolas hit free agency for the first time since 2017 this offseason.
Miles Mikolas Supplies Nats With Reliable Innings
The San Diego Padres selected Mikolas in the seventh round of the 2009 draft. He would slowly work his way up the minor league system before reaching the big leagues in 2012. Mikolas was strictly a reliever with San Diego, making 27 appearances out of the bullpen across two seasons. The righty’s career had been fairly straightforward up to that point, but he’d soon embark on a whirlwind journey.
Mikolas was traded twice following the 2013 season. San Diego dealt him to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a deal that brought back outfielder Alex Dickerson. Pittsburgh then flipped Mikolas to the Texas Rangers a month later for first baseman Chris McGuiness. Mikolas, now a starter, made 10 appearances for the Rangers. He scuffled to a 6.44 ERA and found himself out of the league by the end of the year. Mikolas chose to pursue an opportunity in Japan and would go on to pitch three seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball.
Solid work in Japan helped Mikolas earn a major league deal with the Cardinals. He returned stateside and developed into one of the most consistent innings eaters in the league. Mikolas made 32 starts in each of his first two seasons in St. Louis. A right forearm injury cost him all of the shortened 2020 season and part of the 2021 campaign. He would never go on the IL again.
Mikolas has made at least 31 starts in four consecutive seasons. He led the league with 35 in 2023. The numbers haven’t always been great, but Mikolas has compiled a 4.24 ERA across 241 MLB appearances. He picked up two All-Star nominations.
Mikolas Joins Inexperienced Pitching Staff
As the roster currently stands, Mikolas will be at least seven years older than every other Nats starter. The gap would’ve been wider if Washington hadn’t added Foster Griffin in free agency. The 30-year-old lefty took a similar path to Mikolas, going to NPB to build up value before earning a big-league deal.
With MacKenzie Gore traded to Texas, Mikolas could assume Opening Day starter duties. FanGraphs RosterResource tool slotted him atop the depth chart. The other candidates include Griffin, Cade Cavalli, Brad Lord, and Josiah Gray. Rule 5 addition Griff McGarry was a starter in the minors, but seems headed to a long relief role.
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