The Washington Nationals have had a relatively quiet offseason, other than trading away their ace, Mackenzie Gore to the Texas Rangers.
With Gore now on the move, the Nationals were in need of innings at the back-end of their rotation.
As a result, they signed Miles Mikolas to a one-year $2.25 million deal according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Mikolas will provide plenty of innings, having thrown 150 or more in each of the past four seasons, including two seasons with 200 innings or more.
That said, he’s struggled in recent seasons.
After finishing sixth in National League Cy Young Award voting in 2018 with an 18-4 record and a 2.83 ERA, Mikolas has been unable to limit the longball.
Last season, Mikolas gave up an abysmal 1.7 home runs per nine innings and even tied an MLB record for most home runs given up in a single game, with six against the Chicago Cubs.
As a result, Mikolas’ ERA has risen, as he hasn’t completed a season below 4.75 since 2022.
After a seven-year stint with St. Louis, Mikolas will now hope to return to form with Washington.
At 37-years-old, this may be his last season on a big league roster.
For the Nationals, they’ll hope Mikolas can provide a bulk of innings at the back-end of the rotation, even if he’s unable to return to his old form.
After all, bringing in Mikolas as an experienced veteran could help the progression of young pitchers.
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