The Nationals added an innings eater on Wednesday, announcing a one-year contract with veteran right-hander Miles Mikolas. It’s reportedly a $2.25MM base salary for the Octagon client, who can earn another $750K in bonuses. Mikolas would collect $100K apiece for every 10 innings between 100 and 120, $200K at 130 frames, and $250K at 140 innings. DJ Herz has been placed on the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Herz underwent Tommy John surgery last April.
Mikolas, 37, became a workhorse in his mid-thirties. He began his career with the Padres and Rangers before spending three years with the Yomiuri Giants in NPB. During the 2017-18 offseason, he signed with the Cardinals and made 32 starts in each of the next two years, but forearm issues kept him off the field for most of 2020-21. Since 2022, he has started at least 31 games each year, including a league-leading 35 in 2023. Only one pitcher, Logan Webb, has made more starts than Mikolas over the last four seasons, and only four have thrown more innings.
Unfortunately for Mikolas, the quality of those innings has declined as he has aged and his stuff has diminished. In 2025, he pitched to a 4.84 ERA and a 4.83 SIERA. While the righty has never been one to rack up strikeouts, his strikeout rate and strikeout-to-walk ratio dropped to 14.9% and 2.70, respectively, the lowest either has ever been since before he left for Japan. The only pitcher to throw at least 150 innings last year with a worse strikeout rate was Mikolas’s new Nationals teammate Mitchell Parker. Meanwhile, no pitcher (min. 150 IP) gave up barrels at a higher rate than Mikolas; according to Statcast’s xERA, he ranked among the bottom 9% of pitchers in MLB. Pitch models that evaluate raw stuff, such as Stuff+ and PitchingBot, also suggest that the veteran took a big step back in 2025. Overwhelming batters with nasty stuff was never how he succeeded, but his stuff metrics went from poor to some of the worst in the game this past season.
As negative as all that sounds, it’s important to keep in mind that Mikolas still took the mound 31 times in 2025, tossing 156 1/3 frames. He made eight quality starts and finished five innings in all but seven of his outings. The Nationals badly needed an innings eater for a woefully inexperienced rotation set to include names like Josiah Gray, Cade Cavalli, Foster Griffin, Jake Irvin, Brad Lord, and Parker. Of those arms, only Irvin and Parker have pitched so much as one qualifying major league season, while Gray is the only other to have a 30-start campaign under his belt. It’s a group replete with injury concerns, consistency issues, and limited track records. The dependable Mikolas will boost the floor of what projects to be one of the worst starting rotations in the league.
TalkNats first reported the Nationals and Mikolas had conversations. Jake Mintz of Yahoo Sports! was first on the agreement. Mark Zuckerman of Nats Journal confirmed it was a major league deal, while Jon Heyman of The New York Post had the $2.75MM base plus incentives. The Associated Press reported the incentive specifics. Image courtesy of Jeff Curry, Imagn Images.
One of the saddest looking players.
He also does not look his age. If you showed me his photo and said he’s the new 57 year old bench coach, I’d believe you without hesitation.
But top 5 moustache
Oh for sure. They go hand in hand if done properly
🫵😂 Miles Mikolas
I’m happy Miles gets another opportunity. I was hoping the Marlins would sign him, but at this point he has to take what he can get. I don’t think Washington’s defense is going to do him any favors, unfortunately.
Best of luck Miles Mikolas.
Neither is their offense.
Neither is their bullpen.
Maybe a year with the 2026 Nationals is what Miles needs. After a season of below average defense, below average offense, and a below average bullpen, Miles will be ready to walk away from the game and enjoy retirement in Jupiter.
Crazy Gallen is still available I refuse to believe he will play like he did last year I don’t know why teams aren’t all over him.
They don’t want to give up a pick would be my best guess. The bigger question is how many compensation picks have panned out over the last 12-13 years? Can’t imagine too many.
Depends on the team. Your team must not draft well. Team teams I follow have tons of successful late 1st 2nd 3rd round pick players.
Uhh……..aren’t you a Pirates fan?
Yes
The QO is affecting Gallen’s market. He’ll sign eventually but it may only be a one year deal
Giving a pick for 1 year wouldn’t be good for signing team
The Braves have done it multiple times. If the price is right a team will sacrifice the pick
Main point is, they also lose the bonus pool attached to the pick. (Some international bonus pool)
Gallen is effecting gallen market. All he had to do was take a contract for what he is worth minus the value of the draft pick and he is signed. He obviously thinks he is more valuable than employers think he is. He could have just accepted the offer and showcased his value.
It was reported early in the off-season he wouldn’t consider a one year deal. I dont know if that has changed but he almost has to to prove last year was an outlier.
If he wanted a 1 year deal he would have just taken the offer. If teams wanted him for 1 year it would be much less than the offer.
Hat tip to the Lizard King. I’m a fan. Great guy. Cowboy hat and all.
There’s a rock band from Australia called King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. You just reminded me of them by saying Lizard King. I personally do not listen to them my Uncle is the one who told me about them.
he listens to em….
Yes he does. He spends extra money just to get their albums on vinyl. I think he spend like $300 on their greatest hits or something like that. It was like 120 songs on like 6 vinyls. I don’t know how many songs are on a vinyl album so I’m completely guessing.
@player
It varies iirc the avg is 8 to 10 songs per album, but it’s all down to song length
Can pitch every five starts and eat up enough inning to avoid a bullpen game for team that is not going to win many games. Still one of my favorite ballparks from a TV viewer point of view.
Unfortunately it’s a batting practice game for the other team while Miles is pitching his 5 innings. He just can’t keep his 94 mph straight fastball away from the middle of the strike zone.
I don’t how many times I have watched the YouTube video of him returning the junk grabbing favor back to Soto after getting him out. Puts me in damn near tears everytime.
Glad he signed in the NL East.
The previous DC leadership under Rizzo & Martinez wouldn’t have taken kindly to that behavior versus the Nats’ former star. New skipper may embrace it, who knows.
I wish Miles the best in his new role. He could look so difficult to hit on a pitch and then follow it up with the same hitter crushing it. He had a great personality and seemed like a great teammate. Good luck.
You know it’s going to be bad year when you’re signing an innings eater who will most likely make the starting rotation.
Lot of comments here about him being an innings eater. He started 31 games last year and threw 156.1 innings. In my world, that’s five innings per start.
A fair point. But in today’s MLB averaging five innings per start *is* an innings eater. As was noted in the article above about Mikolas:
“Only one pitcher, Logan Webb, has made more starts than Mikolas over the last four seasons, and only four have thrown more innings.”
Nobody is (or should be) popping champagne corks over signing Miles Mikolas. But his record to date has been “answer the bell and deliver five innings every fifth day.” That’s not nothing either.
Yes, he’s known as more of a time eater actually. While, it may have only been 5 innings per start, each inning was extremely long.
Garbage.
Disappointed the Angels didn’t get this guy. Could pencil him in as the #1 or #2 starter.
With Mike Maddux landing in LA I actually thought the Angels made some sense for Mikolas and vice versa. But he is a Florida guy, so he probably preferred the East coast and a team that has Spring Training in the Grapefruit League.
Thought Washington would bring back MadMax.
Shoutout PCA’s son
It’s scary that he’s maybe the best pitcher in the team. Maybe Lord or Cavalli can give them some better innings but Parker and Irvin totally fell apart. I thought they would be decent enough mid/back of the rotation guys but all their numbers went the wrong way last season. Not even bad luck, awful k/bb rates. Maybe they just ran out of gas??
They barely have any track record. Thats the only reason.
Proof that anything is possible.
Just glad that he didn’t weasel his way to some pillow 1 year deal with the Cardinals. He already stole $100 million plus of DeWitts money. Guess those incriminating pictures of Mozeliak aren’t worth much now.
one more year and he’ll reach 10 year service time… 10 years in the majors is a feat
Another one I thought might be a Padre. Can only assume that AJ’s working on another late trade for an impact guy.
Good news for Cincy!
An interesting & nerdy stat about Mikolas – in 18 out of 31 starts in 2025 he allowed 3 runs or fewer in 6 innings or more, or 2 runs or fewer when he went 5 innings. As a comparison, Sonny Gray was 19 out of 32 using the same criteria. In other words, Mikolas kept the Cardinals in games just as well as Gray did. Pitching in St Louis, Mikolas was excellent (ERA about 3), but terrible on the road. Hope he does well in Washington.
I am so happy, now the Cardinals can’t get him…
Was curious whether Mikolas would sign or maybe go overseas/retire. WSH def needed a veteran arm to add to the rotation.
Is Bassitt worth 16 million more than Mikolas for 1 season? Time will tell.
Crazy cheap for an innings eater