"The Cardinals brought him back to the states in 2018 and he performed great, then ok in 2019, then got hurt in 2020, injuring his flexor tendon. He'd get back to full-time work in 2022 and was solid but hasn't been able to replicate that since, likely in large part because at that time he was already 33 years old."
"He isn't that good anymore but the Nats don't need good. 70 pitchers threw 150 innings last year. The Nats had the two with the worst ERAs with Jake Irvin (5.70) and Mitchell Parker (5.68) and they were that bad. Miles was 11th worst but with a slightly lucky 4.84 ERA, unless age gets his this year, he'll likely put up the same amount of innings as these two with a half-run better ERA."
"But at 2.1 BB/9 it's still very good. The problem is it has to be because both his ability to keep the ball in the park and his already weak K rate are slipping too. This is age catching up with him and at some point his ability to not give guys free passes won't be able to overcome the fact guys will get hits then take him deep."
Miles Mikolas signed a one-year deal with the Nationals as a low-cost veteran expected to be moved later. He rebuilt his career after a failed Padres stint by pitching in Japan, then returned to MLB with the Cardinals in 2018 before injuries and age reduced his effectiveness. Since 2022 he has been an innings eater, routinely providing 5–6 innings every fifth day. The Nationals' rotation struggles make below-average but durable starts acceptable. Mikolas keeps strong control (2.1 BB/9) while strikeout and home-run suppression have declined, creating risk of age-driven regression. The one-year term limits long-term exposure.
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