Cardinals $55.7 Million All-Star Predicted To Play Elsewhere In 2025

There could be some big changes coming with St. Louis

Sep 8, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas (39) looks on during the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images / Jeff Le-Imagn Images

The Major League Baseball offseason has just begun so there hasn't been much more than just chatter and speculation across the league.

A few moves already have been made, but most of the talk so far has been hypothetical. The St. Louis Cardinals certainly are an interesting team to watch for because of the fact that their plans aren't 100 percent clear.

The Cardinals want to make trades and lower payroll by moving high-priced veterans. That plan already has hit a snag, as it has been reported that both Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray don't want to be traded. St. Louis has decisions to make and may not end up cutting ties with as many players as it hoped.

While this is the case, one player who is predicted to be on the move is starting pitcher Miles Mikolas by FanSided's Zach Pressnell.

"The St. Louis Cardinals made the same mistake multiple times over," Pressnell said. "They would routinely sign a veteran pitcher who produces average results to a contract worth well over $15 million per year. St. Louis made this mistake with just about every pitcher in their starting rotation despite having some incredibly talented arms in the minor leagues. With the veterans plugging spots at the big-league level, talented prospects have been stuck in the minor leagues.

"This idea can be seen very clearly with the veteran starter Miles Mikolas, who will earn $18.5 million in 2025. Mikolas is 36 years old and well past his prime...The Cardinals could and should find a way to dump him off. Even if this means eating a portion of his contract. St. Louis would be better off with an extra roster spot to use on a young arm rather than letting Mikolas continue to plug a hole in their starting rotation."

Don't be shocked if he does get moved despite being in the final year of his $55.7 million deal.

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