ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Cardinals have finalized deals to add starting pitchers Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson.
Cardinals lead executive John Mozeliak confirmed both Lynn and Gibson would join the team for the 2024 season via one-year deals during a Tuesday afternoon news conference.
Lynn will make around $10 million this year. Gibson will make around $12 million. Both also have club options for 2025.
Mozeliak acknowledged during a Tuesday news conference that both Lynn and Gibson wanted to join next year’s St. Louis pitching staff, an important factor in the signings.
Lynn is the last remaining active player from the 2011 World Series championship roster. Gibson is a former Mizzou standout and got a good recommendation from Adam Wainwright. Both are 36 years old.
With the new deals, the Cardinals add two experienced arms to a pitching staff often plagued by injuries and inconsistencies last year. Lynn and Gibson have both proven durable with age, both logging at least 180 innings pitched in 2023 and among the leaders in innings pitched since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The projected innings will certainly prove valuable for the Cardinals pitching staff. Whether both can rekindle All-Star form (both last with nods in 2021) remains to be determined. Lynn fared 13-11 with a 5.73 ERA last year. Gibson set a career-high in wins last season (15) with a 4.73 ERA. Both were among the Top 5 starting pitchers in hits allowed last season, so despite some successes, there’s certainly room for improvement.
Mozeliak also expressed this sentiment to FOX 2’s Martin Kilcoyne and other media members: This is day one. This is not the finish line.
The Cardinals baseball boss has been hopeful to add at least three new starting pitchers to next year’s rotation. St. Louis missed out on Aaron Nola, who was previously deemed to be a top target, but ultimately stayed put with the Philadelphia Phillies with a seven-year deal.
Japan star Yoshinobu Yamamoto and AL Cy Young runner-up Sonny Gray are two other names who are intriguing possibilities. It seems Yamamoto would reportedly consider the Cardinals if they can afford his price tag. The Cardinals have also had some reported interest in Gray.
This is a developing story. Check back for more details.
