Andrew Friedman is known for finding gems in the garbage pile. Witness Max Muncy, Chris Taylor, Brandon Morrow, and others. But he is not the only one. In 2018, the St. Louis Cardinals signed Miles Mikolas, whom the year before was 14-8 with a 2.25 ERA in the Japanese League. He had gone to Japan after failing as an MLB pitcher.
The Cardinals signed him to a 2-year $15.5 Million dollar deal and he went out in 2018 and finished 6th in the Cy Young voting with a 18-4 W/L record, a 2.83 ERA and a 1.071 WHIP.