Unpopular opinion even for me on Cards Talk, but…

[ecleme22]

Yeah, the extention he signed in March 2023 essentially was a $40M/2yr deal for 2024-2025.

He was owed $15.75M for 2023 but this was replaced by a $55.75M/3yr deal for 2023-2025.

fangraphs estimates of his value delivered total $43.4M for the entire contract (with 2 starts to go)
2023 - $24.2M - original contract paid him $15.75 for 2023
2024 - $15.5M
2025 - $3.7M

The Cards would have come out $8.5M ahead on the last year of original deal (2023).

However, they are going to come out ~$20M behind on the extension (2024-2025).

Overall Mikolas delivered $122.4M in value and was paid $122.25M by STL. How's that for delivering exactly what you were paid to deliver?

Thanks for the analysis. MO shot himself in the foot with this late career extensions to Carp and Mikolas. At some point, it appeared to be laziness in keeping a player instead of trying to find an upgrade for similar money. Mikolas overall as your analysis suggests was fine. But, why give him a raise the last 2 years. If they wanted to extend him, a 20% cut for each of the extended years would have made more sense and looked better. It is not a shot at Mikolas, it is just reality...

It was so weird why Mo would extend Miko in spring training of the 2023 season.

Why? Because Monty didn’t want an extension? So?

Fast forward to the following off season. Mo finally realizes….wait for it….he can sign starters to 1 year deals.

Now whether you love or hate the Lynn/gibson signings, they both made as much, nearly, to what we have paid Miko each season the last two years…

That extension was born of panic. Mo saw his only starter under contract for '24 was Matz, and he knew his pitching pipeline was dry. The NTC was icing on the cake.

For a veteran FO guy, Mo was sure scared of dabbling in the FA market…