With a pair of veteran starters signed on the same day to provide a foundation of experience they wanted and the innings they so desperately needed, the Cardinals believe they have a better footing to reach for what’s next.
The Cardinals finalized one-year contracts with free-agent right-handers Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn on Tuesday to fill two openings in their rotation with proven, seasoned stalwarts. Gibson, a former Mizzou standout, and Lynn, a former Cardinals All-Star, bring more than a decade each of steady, reliable pitching — something the Cardinals feel they lacked during their losing 2023 season and something the Cardinals believe they needed in place before chasing the third starter they still want to add this offseason.
“We think (this) is a very good first step,” said John Mozeliak, president of baseball operations, on Tuesday afternoon at Busch Stadium. “This is not the finish line. This is a day in time. There is still a lot of work to be done.”
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And there are still solid starters available.
Perhaps even more options for the Cardinals with the moves already made.
Gibson, 36, agreed to a one-year deal worth $12 million. Lynn, also 36, signed a one-year deal that guarantees him $11 million with a $10 million salary for 2023. Both deals have a team option for 2025, giving the Cardinals immediate financial flexibility beyond this season. The additions of Gibson and Lynn to a rotation that also returns Miles Mikolas means the Cardinals, sabotaged by a lack of consistent innings this past summer, can boast three of the 23 pitchers who threw more than 180 innings. For the cost of $22 million, less than the average annual value of a rotation-leading starter, the Cardinals added two starters who combine for more than 360 innings.
John Mozeliak, president of baseball operations for the Cardinals, speaks with the press about the signing of pitchers Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson during a news conference Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023, at Busch Stadium.
It’s a bedrock of innings that allows the Cardinals to broaden their search for a third new starter while leaving budget available to pursue impact options for that role.
“I hope so. That was the plan,” Mozeliak said. “The reason we structured the deals that we have is to give us some flexibility to keep moving on.”
The Cardinals’ early offseason focus has been on free-agent pitchers. In the coming weeks, as Thanksgiving passes and the MLB winter meetings near, the Cardinals will plunge deeper into the trade possibilities that they wanted to be prepared to pursue. The Chicago White Sox have made it clear they’re open to entertaining offers for Dylan Cease, and the Tampa Bay Rays are exploring the return they could get on Tyler Glasnow before he makes $20 million in 2024. Both right-handers are frontline talents, though Glasnow had never made more than 20 starts in a season until this past one.
The free-agent market remains rich, too. NL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and AL Cy Young Award runner-up Sonny Gray have yet to sign, and Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto could begin fielding offers Tuesday morning and has a 45-day window to sign.
Mozeliak does not disclose specific targets. He was asked Tuesday if the groundwork and investment the Cardinals have made in recent years to expand their presence in Japan puts them in a better position to bid on top talent from its top league.
“Our breadth over in Asia has increased,” he said. “I feel like we’ve had a strong understanding of what those markets look like. Obviously, traditionally, I think a lot of players like to end up on the coasts when they come over.”
Because the Cardinals aren’t looking to change their address along the Mississippi River coast, Mozeliak was asked how they change their pitch to improve their chances of signing talents from Japan.
“We’ll allow time to determine that,” he said. “I think you can help influence. I don’t know if you can change it dramatically.”
Orioles starting pitcher Kyle Gibson throws during the seventh inning of a game against the Mets on Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023, in Baltimore. Gibson agreed to a one-year deal with the Cardinals on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023.
A phrase Mozeliak returned to several times Tuesday was how Lynn and Gibson both were eager to be Cardinals. Part of that was geography, too. Lynn’s home is in Southern Illinois, driving distance from St. Louis so that he could attend and pass a physical Tuesday. Gibson lives in the St. Louis area during the offseason, and he has been active with charities in the region. Lynn was a first-round pick by the Cardinals in 2008, and Gibson was a candidate to be the Cardinals’ first-round pick in 2009. (They chose Shelby Miller at No. 19; Gibson went from Mizzou to the Twins at No. 22.) Multiple times since, the Cardinals have attempted to sign or trade for Gibson.
Although they did not bid for him a year ago when he signed a one-year, $10 million deal with Baltimore to give the 101-win Orioles those innings the Cardinals missed.
Lesson learned?
“This year, we wanted to go in with a little more certainty and have that veteran presence,” Mozeliak said. “You need guys you can count on. You need guys with experience. You need guys who can help younger guys understand what this is all about. So I look at these guys and, yes, they’ve got to take the ball. Yes, they’ve got to pitch deep into games. But, yes, they’re also going to help our younger players. They check a lot of boxes for us.”
For the Orioles, Gibson went 15-9 with a 4.73 ERA, and he struck out 157 in 192 innings. A byproduct of all those innings was the league-high 198 hits allowed. He paired that with 17 quality starts and his eighth season with at least 10 wins. Gibson, an All-Star in 2021, is one of eight pitchers with more than 350 innings and at least 25 wins in the past two seasons.
The Orioles' Anthony Santander, left, gets a hugs from Kyle Gibson after hitting a grand slam in the seventh inning of a game against the Braves on Friday, May 5, 2023, in Atlanta.
Lynn, also an All-Star in 2021, is a year removed from a career-low ERA, and in that year, he had a career-high ERA of 5.73 while splitting the season between the White Sox and the Dodgers. Lynn allowed a league-high 44 home runs — a bruise on his baseball card that the Cardinals believe will be helped by their bigger ballpark. An unapologetic fastball hurler, Lynn struck out 191 batters in 183.2 innings. His 9.36 strikeout-per-nine rate is the fourth-highest among available free agents who threw more than 160 innings the majors this summer.
“Lance with a chip is a good Lance,” Mozeliak said, “and he’s got a little chip on his shoulder.”
After announcing the deals for the two right-handers, Mozeliak discussed the ongoing plans to outfit manager Oliver Marmol’s coaching staff. Former Cardinals infielder Daniel Descalso agreed Monday to a multiyear deal to serve as bench coach. Joe McEwing, the bench coach in 2023, moves to a special assistant role where he will work with staff development — coaching the coaches — throughout the organization. Mozeliak stressed again that the team wants to expand Marmol’s staff.
Yadier Molina and the Cardinals continue to sort through the possible roles he could have with the organization in 2024, and still to be determined is the time commitment he’s ready to make and the responsibilities he’d best fit once that’s determined.
A prelude to Monday’s free-agent signings were the decisions this past week to allow pitchers Dakota Hudson and Jake Woodford to become free agents. A team aching for pitching reduced its depth and control in a notable move. That decision did free up spots on the 40-man roster and also lopped off some salaries. The Cardinals did not present contracts to four players on their 40-man roster — Woodford, Hudson, Andrew Knizner, and Juan Yepez — and that is an estimated savings of around $7 million to $8 million.
With innings acquired and costs clarified, the Cardinals can still shop.
“There’s been a lot of churn, but that means we do not want to be complacent,” Mozeliak said. “And so, more moves to come.”
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'More moves to come': Signing Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn sets up Cardinals for what's next - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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