Did the Cardinals waste $23 million on starting pitching in free agency?

The St. Louis Cardinals failed to meet expectations in 2023. Prior to the start of the year, they were considered a contender to win the National League Central, yet at the end of the season, they found themselves 20 games below the .500 mark at 71 wins and 91 losses, and 21 games back of the division leading Milwaukee Brewers.

Now as Major League Baseball free agency begins, Cardinals fans have every reason to question the offseason moves they made on Tuesday. They have signed starting pitchers Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn to controversial one-year contracts. Both pitchers are coming off seasons where they did not pitch all that effectively.

Kyle Gibson

Gibson, a native of Greenfield, Indiana, signed a one-year deal worth $12 million. Last season he posted a solid win/loss record of 15 wins and nine losses with the Baltimore Orioles. However, he led the American League with 198 hits allowed. In 192 innings pitched and 33 starts, Gibson had an earned run average of 4.73, and allowed 101 earned runs, 23 home runs and 55 walks, to go along with 157 strikeouts and a WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 1.32.

The Cardinals are Gibson’s fifth Major League team. He has previously played seven seasons with the Minnesota Twins (2013 to 2019), two seasons each with the Texas Rangers (2020 and 2021), and Philadelphia Phillies (2021 and 2022), and one season with the Orioles (2023). While with the Rangers and Phillies in 2021, Gibson was a Major League All-Star. He had a record of 10 wins and nine losses with an ERA of 3.71.

Lance Lynn

Lynn, a native of Indianapolis, Indiana, signed a one-year deal worth $11 million. Last season he was horrendous with the Chicago White Sox (6-9 with an ERA of 6.47, and a WHIP of 1.46), but better with the Los Angeles Dodgers (7-2 with an ERA of 4.36). There is no doubt that Lynn benefited by playing in southern California, as he used his curve and slider over 10% more of the time. It will now be interesting to see if a return to St. Louis will benefit his career. He was with the Cardinals from 2011 to 2017 (World Series win in 2011 and All-Star in 2012). After that Lynn spent time with the Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers, before joining the White Sox.