MLB | Kyle Gibson, Cardinals agree to deal

Continuing to address what president of baseball operations John Mozeliak referred to as a strong need for “volume” among their pitching staff, the Cardinals finalized a one-year contract with 36-year-old right-hander Kyle Gibson on Tuesday.

The deal, which includes a club option for 2025, comes one day after the Cardinals landed 36-year-old right-hander Lance Lynn for his second stint with the club. The 6-foot-6 Gibson, a former college star at the University of Missouri, is a veteran of 11 MLB seasons and went 15-9 with a 4.73 ERA over 33 starts in 2023 with the Orioles. Over 192 innings, he allowed an American League-most 198 hits, while striking out 157. He made one appearance in the postseason, during an O’s loss to the eventual World Series champion Rangers in Game 3 of the AL Division Series, surrendering a solo home run over three relief innings.

Gibson, an Indiana native just like Lynn, has pitched for the Twins, Rangers, Phillies and Orioles throughout his MLB career. He is 104-100 with a 4.54 ERA in 300 career MLB games — 294 of which he has started.  

A dearth of pitching played a major role in the Cardinals going 71-91 and finishing last in their division for the first time in 33 years. With just two established starters — right-hander Miles Mikolas and lefty Steven Matz — signed for 2024, Mozeliak has repeatedly mentioned needing starting pitching and reliever support this offseason. The Cards finished with baseball’s 24th-ranked overall ERA (4.79), 26th-ranked starter ERA (5.07) and 23rd-ranked reliever ERA (4.47).