Cardinals agree to 2-year deal with Miles Mikolas

The St. Louis Cardinals have added one of the offseason's most intriguing starting pitchers after agreeing to a two-year deal with right-hander Miles Mikolas, the team announced.

While financial terms were not officially disclosed, the deal is expected to be worth $15.5 million, multiple reports confirm.

For the past three seasons the 29-year-old has pitched for Yomiuri of the Japan Central League and performed extremely well, combining to a 2.20 ERA (7.9 K/9) in 62 starts. He's coming off yet another productive season after finishing with a 0.98 WHIP, 187 strikeouts, and only 23 walks.

Prior to the deal with St. Louis, the Texas Rangers, Mikolas' former major-league team, were reportedly interested in a reunion with the right-hander, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Mikolas, a seventh-round draft pick of the San Diego Padres in 2009, appeared in 25 games as a reliever in 2012. He was later traded to the Rangers and made 10 starts with the team in 2014, finishing with a 6.44 ERA across 57 1/3 innings.

The right-hander will hope to follow in the footsteps of former major leaguers who have found success overseas and return to North America on new deals. Slugging first baseman Eric Thames was the most recent reclamation product, as he signed a three-year, $16-million deal with the Milwaukee Brewers last offseason following a successful stint playing in Korea.