The Fourth of July caps are going to look quite different this year - MLB

Indeed, they’re going to look downright Houston Astros-y. This sneak peak from Sportslogos.net:

They got it from a tipster, and they got confirmation that several months ago a minor league team teased the design, which may suggest New Era has been working on it for a bit.

I think it’s OK. Certainly more imaginative than the standard stars and stripes logos they’ve been using for the past few years. I actually think the fact that these are far removed from the team’s usual designs is a good thing. The older ones fall in some sort of weird uncanny valley in which they’re so close to the old designs that they make you think they are the old designs with just a little something . . . off. If you’re going to go in another direction, go definitively in another direction, ya know?

ST. LOUIS — Miles Mikolas is sticking with the St. Louis Cardinals.

The right-hander signed a three-year, $55.75 million contract on Friday that will carry through the 2025 season.

The new deal replaces a $68 million, four-year contract signed in February 2019 that covered the 2020-23 seasons and was set to pay $15.75 million this year.

Mikolas will receive a $5 million signing bonus payable July 1 and will make $18.75 million in 2023 and $16 million in each of the following two seasons. Mikolas can earn a $250,000 bonus for winning a Cy Young Award, $50,000 for All-Star election or selection or winning a Gold Glove, $100,000 for League Championship Series MVP and $150,000 for World Series MVP.

Mikolas is scheduled to make the second opening-day start of his big league career next Thursday when the Cardinals host Toronto. Mikolas went 12-13 with a 3.29 ERA last season while helping St. Louis to the NL Central title.

“Miles stands among the top pitchers in the game today, and has continued to provide a steady presence for us both in the rotation and inside the clubhouse,” St. Louis general manager John Mozeliak said in a statement.

Mikolas is 45-40 with a 3.79 in 143 games with San Diego, Texas and St. Louis. He recently pitched six shutout innings in two appearances for the U.S. in the World Baseball Classic.