Nationals sign starting pitcher Miles Mikolas

Miles Mikolas (Ship1231, Wikimedia Commons)

The Washington Nationals have signed starting pitcher Miles Mikolas of Jupiter, Florida to a one-year deal worth $2.3 million according to the Associated Press. What Mikolas brings to the Nationals is a great deal of experience. At age 37 years of age, he has been in the Major Leagues for a decade now.

Mikolas pitched two seasons with the San Diego Padres (2012 and 2013), one season with the Texas Rangers (2014), and seven seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals (2018 and 2025). He played three straight seasons in Japan from 2015 to 2017, and missed the entire 2021 season  with a forearm injury.

In 2025, Mikolas had a record of eight wins and 11 losses with an earned run average of 4.84. During 156 1/3 innings pitched, and 31 games, Mikolas gave up 169 hits, 84 earned runs, 29 home runs and 37 walks, to go along with 100 strikeouts, eight quality starts and a WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 1.32.

While with the Cardinals, Mikolas was a two-time National League All-Star. He was first honoured in 2018, and the second time in 2022. Mikolas has the distinction of leading the National League in wins one year (18 in 2018) and  then leading the National League in losses the very next year (14 in 2019).

Giving up hits has always been an issue for Mikolas. He led the National League in hits allowed in 2018 (186), and the Major League in hits allowed in 2023 (226).

Mikolas will be in the conversation as the Nationals ace in 2025. Washington’s ace last year was MacKenzie Gore of Wilmington, North Carolina. He was traded in the offseason to the Texas Rangers for five prospects.

There have now been two Cardinals pitchers to leave St. Louis in the last week. John King is now with the Miami Marlins.