Despite a winning record of 83-79, the St. Louis Cardinals missed the playoffs for the second year in a row. As they prepare toward 2025, the Cardinals are prepared for significant organizational changes.
According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, the St. Louis Cardinals will not pick up the 2025 option on Lance Lynn, Kyle Gibson, and Kenyan Middleton’s contracts. Instead, all three will receive a $1 million buyout. President of Baseball Operations Jon Mozeliak confirmed that the moves were made to give the Cardinals “maximum flexibility.”
Lynn joined the Cardinals on a one-year contract in the 2024 offseason. He went 7-4 with a 3.84 ERA and 109/44 K/BB ratio. While his results aren’t particularly impressive at this point in his career, Lynn is a reliable back end starter who has improved significantly since his catastrophic 2023 season. However, after reuniting the band, St. Louis opted to end the return tour after only a year of performances.
Gibson, like Lynn, was signed in the 2024 offseason with the expectation that he would guide the team’s new rotation. With this strategy, the right-hander went 8-8 with a 4.24 ERA and a 151/68 slugging percentage. Gibson, like Lynn, is merely a backup player entering his 37th season. They now have something in common as they look for their next opportunity.
The Cardinals finished the regular season with a 4.04 ERA, placing them 16th overall. Their.249 batting average against placed 23rd, with 1,308 strikeouts, the fourth-lowest in the league. St. Louis performed a terrific job limiting walks, ranking sixth in the MLB with 454. However, it is evident that the Cardinals require a significant improvement in the pitching area.
After declining three contracts, St. Louis now has the potential to upgrade their rotation. It’s reasonable to ask if they’ll be involved with any of the top free agency starters, but with rotation gaps to fill, the Cardinals’ pitching staff is ready to look drastically different in 2025.
