Why the hate on Mikolas

[BrockFloodMaris]

Mikolas was a perfect example of Mo falling in love hard for the wrong guy. Mo outsmarted all of MLB to sign MM out of Japan, which went pretty well, until it didn’t. Then Mo stubbornly stuck with him way beyond his expiration date. Recapping, Mo was lazy, arrogant and stubborn.

[ecleme22]

Mikolas was a perfect example of Mo falling in love hard for the wrong guy. Mo outsmarted all of MLB to sign MM out of Japan, which went pretty well, until it didn’t. Then Mo stubbornly stuck with him way beyond his expiration date. Recapping, Mo was lazy, arrogant and stubborn.

Mo always struck me as someone very afraid of the FA market.

There was just zero logic in signing a 35 year old to a two year extension BEFORE the last year of his current contract started.

[RichieRichSTL]

Mikolas was a perfect example of Mo falling in love hard for the wrong guy. Mo outsmarted all of MLB to sign MM out of Japan, which went pretty well, until it didn’t. Then Mo stubbornly stuck with him way beyond his expiration date. Recapping, Mo was lazy, arrogant and stubborn.

For MO, I believe it was a pride thing. Bloom has no emotional investment in Mikolas. Additionally, he saw Mikolas as not worth the squeeze--hated by the fans, not taking ownership of his failures and just doesn't have enough upside to overlook that. I believe Bloom would have waited to see how 2019 was playing out before committing to any serious extension.

Okay, Mo was ahead of his skies on Mikolas, but the 2nd extension was just mind-boggling. You wait for him to finally have a solid season again and then you reward him with 2 additional seasons past the next season which he is signed for. It's like he backed up the titanic and said, "Let's have another go out avoiding the iceberg".

[RichieRichSTL]

Mikolas was a perfect example of Mo falling in love hard for the wrong guy. Mo outsmarted all of MLB to sign MM out of Japan, which went pretty well, until it didn’t. Then Mo stubbornly stuck with him way beyond his expiration date. Recapping, Mo was lazy, arrogant and stubborn.

Mo always struck me as someone very afraid of the FA market.

There was just zero logic in signing a 35 year old to a two year extension BEFORE the last year of his current contract started.

It was just part of his general philosophy. High floor, low ceiling and hope they excel. He'd rather work with a 'known' quantity even if the upside was lower, than risk a bold move. Even his 'bold' moves weren't that bold. Goldy/Arenado were possible because Dewitt was willing to take on contract and they had enough prospects to humor the offloading team. I'm not saying he should have been reckless, but let's face it his philosophy was give me enough payroll and I may not get you a contender, but I will not embarass you either and I will have a team that is in the mix for a playoff spot regularly.

[Dicktar2023]

He was expensive, bad at his job, and a huge jerk. What's not to hate?

[Jeff Goldblum]

He sucked and he talked [shirt] about the fans.

[ecleme22]

Mikolas was a perfect example of Mo falling in love hard for the wrong guy. Mo outsmarted all of MLB to sign MM out of Japan, which went pretty well, until it didn’t. Then Mo stubbornly stuck with him way beyond his expiration date. Recapping, Mo was lazy, arrogant and stubborn.

Mo always struck me as someone very afraid of the FA market.

There was just zero logic in signing a 35 year old to a two year extension BEFORE the last year of his current contract started.

It was just part of his general philosophy. High floor, low ceiling and hope they excel. He'd rather work with a 'known' quantity even if the upside was lower, than risk a bold move. Even his 'bold' moves weren't that bold. Goldy/Arenado were possible because Dewitt was willing to take on contract and they had enough prospects to humor the offloading team. I'm not saying he should have been reckless, but let's face it his philosophy was give me enough payroll and I may not get you a contender, but I will not embarass you either and I will have a team that is in the mix for a playoff spot regularly.

That screams an insecurity in your org’s player eval.

[philway01]

He gave us a fair period of good work, especially eating innings.
But then, as he declined he was remarkably inconsistent. A (bleep) spell would be followed by a couple of pretty good to very good starts, followed nothing. Couple of memories stand out. He was left in to give up 10 runs (against either the Reds or Nats) when it was clear in the second inning he didn’t have anything that day. And the night he had a no-hitter with two outs on the ninth, when Bader turned wrong and misplayed a flyball.
Didn’t love the interview persona, but mainly people hated/resented the extension.

[CCard]

Mikolas was never going to return. He simply didn't bring enough to the table to justify the distracton/controversy. But, why were many fans ready and eager to push him aside?

Choices
---------
1) He was too cocky for his level of mediocracy. Dizzy Dean, “It ain't bragging if you can do it”. Well, he didn't bring it enough to justify..

2) He was the teacher's (MO's), pet.

3) He deferred blame for his failures and minimzed them.

4) In an interview, he indirectly dogged Waino.

5) He trashed talked and didn't bring results to back it up.

ERA 4.84
WAR 0.4
WHIP 1.318

[RichieRichSTL]

Mikolas was a perfect example of Mo falling in love hard for the wrong guy. Mo outsmarted all of MLB to sign MM out of Japan, which went pretty well, until it didn’t. Then Mo stubbornly stuck with him way beyond his expiration date. Recapping, Mo was lazy, arrogant and stubborn.

Mo always struck me as someone very afraid of the FA market.

There was just zero logic in signing a 35 year old to a two year extension BEFORE the last year of his current contract started.

It was just part of his general philosophy. High floor, low ceiling and hope they excel. He'd rather work with a 'known' quantity even if the upside was lower, than risk a bold move. Even his 'bold' moves weren't that bold. Goldy/Arenado were possible because Dewitt was willing to take on contract and they had enough prospects to humor the offloading team. I'm not saying he should have been reckless, but let's face it his philosophy was give me enough payroll and I may not get you a contender, but I will not embarass you either and I will have a team that is in the mix for a playoff spot regularly.

That screams an insecurity in your org’s player eval.

The performance of the Cardinals over the last decade compared to decade plus before that tells the tale. As the old guard players, coaches and other FO receded from the picture and it became more and more Mo's team, Mo was exposed for the mediocre FO leader he is/was. Only thing that kept him afloat was that BDW used to be more competitive in payroll. His streak of .500+ was a function of a good team he was handed, a strong payroll and never going for it. Once BDW cut back, it exposed his reliance on payroll to compensate for his missteps.

[RichieRichSTL]

Mikolas was never going to return. He simply didn't bring enough to the table to justify the distracton/controversy. But, why were many fans ready and eager to push him aside?

Choices
---------
1) He was too cocky for his level of mediocracy. Dizzy Dean, “It ain't bragging if you can do it”. Well, he didn't bring it enough to justify..

2) He was the teacher's (MO's), pet.

3) He deferred blame for his failures and minimzed them.

4) In an interview, he indirectly dogged Waino.

5) He trashed talked and didn't bring results to back it up.

ERA 4.84
WAR 0.4
WHIP 1.318

Sad part is that even with a slight improvement from the prior season.

[CCard]

Mikolas was never going to return. He simply didn't bring enough to the table to justify the distracton/controversy. But, why were many fans ready and eager to push him aside?

Choices
---------
1) He was too cocky for his level of mediocracy. Dizzy Dean, “It ain't bragging if you can do it”. Well, he didn't bring it enough to justify..

2) He was the teacher's (MO's), pet.

3) He deferred blame for his failures and minimzed them.

4) In an interview, he indirectly dogged Waino.

5) He trashed talked and didn't bring results to back it up.

ERA 4.84
WAR 0.4
WHIP 1.318

Sad part is that even with a slight improvement from the prior season.

Not going to win a lot of games giving up 5 runs. He did pitch 150 innings but only struck out 100. So he's a lot like Pallante, they didn't miss a lot of bats and were subject to batted ball luck, which is fun for your starting rotation.

[blackinkbiz]

Mikolas was a perfect example of Mo falling in love hard for the wrong guy. Mo outsmarted all of MLB to sign MM out of Japan, which went pretty well, until it didn’t. Then Mo stubbornly stuck with him way beyond his expiration date. Recapping, Mo was lazy, arrogant and stubborn.

Mo always struck me as someone very afraid of the FA market.

There was just zero logic in signing a 35 year old to a two year extension BEFORE the last year of his current contract started.

It was just part of his general philosophy. High floor, low ceiling and hope they excel. He'd rather work with a 'known' quantity even if the upside was lower, than risk a bold move. Even his 'bold' moves weren't that bold. Goldy/Arenado were possible because Dewitt was willing to take on contract and they had enough prospects to humor the offloading team. I'm not saying he should have been reckless, but let's face it his philosophy was give me enough payroll and I may not get you a contender, but I will not embarass you either and I will have a team that is in the mix for a playoff spot regularly.

That screams an insecurity in your org’s player eval.

The performance of the Cardinals over the last decade compared to decade plus before that tells the tale. As the old guard players, coaches and other FO receded from the picture and it became more and more Mo's team, Mo was exposed for the mediocre FO leader he is/was. Only thing that kept him afloat was that BDW used to be more competitive in payroll. His streak of .500+ was a function of a good team he was handed, a strong payroll and never going for it. Once BDW cut back, it exposed his reliance on payroll to compensate for his missteps.

It's fine to hate on Mo and, considering the amount of damage he did to the organization in such a short amount of time, well-deserved. He literally took one of the top 10 franchises in all professional sports and left them in ruins. Something that just 5-10 years ago, seemed impossible.

TBS, have to give him credit for his early successes. Mo flipped a future bust for Matt Holliday and revamped the bullpen on the fly by taking a big risk in dealing Rasmus, all of which led to the 2011 WSC. Letting Pujols walk and replacing him with Beltran got them back to the WS over the next few years.

But once his blunders added up later in his career, he clearly lost the kohonas to take big risks for a chance at big success. It happens. I'm glad he's finally gone, but he brought a lot of fun 10-15 years ago.

[sikeston bulldog2]

For a franchise that prides itself on “The Cardinal Way,” the goofy, sarcastic antics from Miles Mikolas and Adam Wainwright over the past couple of seasons landed the wrong way—and at the wrong time.

Veteran players set the temperature in the room. When leaders treat losing seasons with sarcasm, jokey bravado, or a “lighten up” attitude, it sends a message—whether intended or not—that standards have slipped. The Cardinals weren’t a young team learning how to lose; they were an experienced roster actively underperforming. That’s exactly when seriousness, accountability, and urgency should be loudest from the top.

Adam Wainwright earned immense respect over his career, but leadership isn’t about résumé—it’s about awareness. When a team is spiraling, fans are frustrated, and younger players are looking for cues, public goofiness can feel dismissive. It blurs the line between confidence and complacency. Instead of projecting resolve, it came across as deflection.

Miles Mikolas’ sarcastic edge may play well when the team is winning, but during prolonged struggles, it reads as tone-deaf. Leaders don’t need to be humorless, but they do need to read the room. When performance doesn’t match attitude, culture erodes.

The Cardinals’ identity has always been about professionalism, quiet confidence, and letting results speak. When veterans stray from that—especially in public—it signals a breakdown in leadership. Culture isn’t what you say it is; it’s what you tolerate and what you model.

And for a franchise built on tradition and accountability, those moments mattered more than they probably realized.

Wow. That may be the best entry I’ve ever read. Top to bottom. Very very well done.

[WLTFE]

Mikolas was a perfect example of Mo falling in love hard for the wrong guy. Mo outsmarted all of MLB to sign MM out of Japan, which went pretty well, until it didn’t. Then Mo stubbornly stuck with him way beyond his expiration date. Recapping, Mo was lazy, arrogant and stubborn.

+1...even the front office (donkey) kissers are staying silent about the Mo-ran and is legacy.

[rockondlouie]

I'll admit it, glad to see him gone.

I was sick of him and his stupid act (re: hamburger phone, ect...).

Never should've got that last extension.

Good riddance

It's just like Matt Carpenter. If he doesn't get that last extension, he leaves the organization with an entirely different taste in everyone's mouth.

Miles was fantastic in his first year with us in 2018 then between solid and good in 2019 (hurt for a couple years) and 2022-23. He's only been terrible the past two seasons.

For sure Walt

Had Mo not rushed to give Mikolas the extensions, surely he'd have let him walk.

He only had two good seasons (2018/2022) out of his seven years here.

His last three seasons (2023-2025) he was one of the worst starters in MLB (4.98 ERA/1.30 WHiP).

His ineptness on the mound coupled w/his silly antics and self-inflated ego made him one of my least favorite Cardinals.

JMO