WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. _ A few days after the Cardinals made the obvious official and announced Miles Mikolas as their Opening Day starter, the team is completing an extension with the right-hander that will mean many more Opening Days together.
The Cardinals and Mikolas are finalizing a four-year extension, two sources with knowledge of the agreement told the Post-Dispatch. A source confirmed that the $68 million deal starts with the 2020 season and will go through 2023.
Mikolas, 30, returned to the majors from Japan a year ago and led the Cardinals' rotation and earned a nod as an All-Star. His two-year, $15.5 million deal allowed him to become a free agent at the end of this season, and both sides said they were eager to discuss an extension.
A native of Jupiter, Fla., with family ties to St. Louis, Mikolas talked about how it was the "obvious fit" for him to stick with the Cardinals.
Mikolas' 18 wins tied for the lead in the National League, and he paired an 18-4 record with 2002/3 innings and a 2.83 ERA.
The Cardinals and Mikolas' agent had some discussions about an extension during the offseason and expected those talks to crystallize during spring training. The goal for Mikolas was to get a deal that was similar to what the team paid Mike Leake as a free agent, and when his contract for 2019 is in included that is close to the contract he received.
Mikolas joins teammates Matt Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, Kolten Wong, Paul DeJong, Jose Martinez, and Yadier Molina as players who have had contract extensions negotiated and completed during spring training.
