WASHINGTON — Miles Mikolas and the Nationals have agreed to a one-year, $2.25 million contract, adding a durable veteran to the mix as the young team sorts out its starting rotation in spring training.
The club announced the move Wednesday. Mikolas can earn $750,000 in performance bonuses: $100,000 each for 100 innings or 30 games pitched, 110 or 40 and 120 or 50; $200,000 for 130 or 60; and $250,000 for 140 or 70.
The 37-year-old Mikolas, a two-time All-Star, spent his past seven seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals. The right-hander went 8-11 with a 4.84 ERA for the Cardinals in 2025 and is one of four major league pitchers to make at least 31 starts in each of the past four seasons.
He has made 130 starts since 2022, tied for second-most in the big leagues during that stretch.
The rebuilding Nationals traded All-Star starter MacKenzie Gore to the Texas Rangers last month for five minor league prosects. Jake Irvin, Mitchell Parker, Cade Cavalli, Brad Lord and Foster Griffin are among the pitchers looking to lock down rotation spots entering camp. Josiah Gray, an All-Star in 2023, is coming back from Tommy John surgery and hopes to be ready for the start of the season.
Mikolas is 72-75 with a 4.24 ERA in 241 games, including 213 starts, over 10 major league seasons with San Diego (2012-13), Texas (2014) and St. Louis (2018-25). He pitched in Japan from 2015 to 2017 and sat out the pandemic-shortened 2020 season with an injury.
He went 18-4 with a 2.83 ERA in 2018, leading the National League in wins. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2009 amateur draft by the Padres and pitched six effective innings for Team USA in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
In another roster move, the Nationals placed left-hander DJ Herz on the 60-day injured list.
