Cardinals sign P Mikolas to 4-year extension

The St. Louis Cardinals announced Tuesday that they signed right-hander Miles Mikolas to a four-year contract extension. The extension is worth $68 million, multiple outlets reported.

"We are extremely pleased to have Miles under contract for the foreseeable future," Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said in a statement. "Miles made great contributions to our team as an All-Star last season, and he quickly fit in with his teammates and our fans. We look forward to having Miles serve as a key member of our pitching staff for the next five years." The extension begins with the 2020 season and runs through 2023, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and MLB Network.

Mikolas, 30, had previously been announced as the Cardinals' Opening Day starter. "There isn't a team that I could see myself as a better fit," said Mikolas, who is a native of Jupiter, Fla., where the Cardinals hold spring training. "There's no team that I'd rather see myself playing for than the St. Louis Cardinals."

Last season, Mikolas returned to the majors from Japan and became an All-Star and an anchor of the rotation. He shared the National League lead in wins and finished sixth in the Cy Young Award voting last season, going 18-4 with a 2.83 ERA and 146 strikeouts in 200 2/3 innings. "Spring training being at home is huge," Mikolas said. "I was a free agent coming into the Cardinals last year, so we kind of did our homework already."

Mikolas is pleased to celebrate this occasion with his family -- wife Lauren, 2-year-old daughter Lillianne and 7-month-old twins Madelyn and Miles. "Sometimes, I have to take a minute and take a breath -- it's usually when everyone's asleep -- and look back at everything that's happened ... and how I've been blessed and how lucky I am to share it with Lauren for being such an amazing wife and being there for the whole journey," Mikolas said.

Mikolas was entering the final year of a two-year, $15.5 million contract that would have allowed him to become a free agent at the end of the season. He pitched with the San Diego Padres (2012-13) and Texas Rangers (2014) before spending three seasons with the Yomiuri Giants (2015-17).

--Field Level Media