Cardinals starter blasts Dodgers for high payroll ahead of Opening Day

The Los Angeles Dodgers and their success represent a popular punching bag around the league, given their deep pockets and willingness to use them. Ignoring the fact that most teams are owned by billion dollar individuals/groups that could easily afford to invest in their rosters but don't, LA is a popular villain among baseball fans everywhere. In a lot of ways, drinking those fans' tears as the Dodgers mow through the competition is half the fun.

Clearly, there are some active players that also feel some kind of way about the Dodgers as well.

Again, this comes with the territory as one of the game's elite teams in a big market, but Miles Mikolas' latest comments directed at the Dodgers warrant a closer look and some ridicule.

Miles Mikolas misses the mark with Dodgers call out and risks poking the bear

Ignoring Mikolas' desire to "stick it to the Dodgers," which is perfectly fine and even desirable for any player that wants to succeed, he does have some nerve with this take. The Cardinals weren't a bad team in 2023 because they didn't spend enough. They were bad because they spent their resources exceedingly poorly and couldn't pitch to save their lives.

As for 2024, the Cardinals currently have a top 10 payroll in the league and have four players making $17 million or more this coming season (INCLUDING Mikolas). Acting like Mikolas and the Cardinals are just a scrappy bunch that are playing for the big league minimum is flat-out silly.

The argument is also disingenuous. The Dodgers have certainly spent a lot especially this offseason, but they have also developed a lot of their own players, including Walker Buehler, Will Smith, Clayton Kershaw, Bobby Miller, and others that all have played a big part in their success. Maybe if the Cardinals stopped looking in the hayfields for guys to fill out their pitching staff, they might actually start winning games that matter again.

These folksy underdog takes are always ridiculous in their attempt to rile up blue collar fans. It is like Mikolas is just hoping that folks won't remember that he is among the better compensated starters in the league, and his own team has three other big contracts on their books right now alongside him. Instead, Mikolas decided to get himself on the Dodgers' radar in the wrong way ahead of a matchup that was already looking tough for St. Louis. Given Mikolas' mediocre career numbers against LA, he might end up regretting his words here come the Dodgers' home opener.

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