Earlier in the offseason, this is a headline that would have made stomachs of Philadelphia Phillies fans drop to the ground.
The St. Louis Cardinals were reportedly heavily pursuing Aaron Nola during his free agency as they are looking to add high-end starters to their rotation before 2024.
With the Phillies re-signing their ace to begin their offseason, that forced the Cardinals to pivot.
Earlier, they reunited with Lance Lynn and have now signed Kyle Gibson to a deal according to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY.
The former Philadelphia pitcher spent last season with the Baltimore Orioles after hitting free agency following his tenure with the Phillies.
Gibson proved to still have some gas left in his tank, posting a 15-9 record with a 4.73 ERA and the third-most innings pitched of his career (192).
Philadelphia acquired the right-hander at the trade deadline in 2021. His time within the organization was disappointing, posting a 14-14 record with an ERA of 5.07 across 43 appearances and 42 starts.
The 36-year-old veteran pitcher was a first round pick of the Minnesota Twins in 2009 and made his MLB debut with them in 2013.
Gibson spent seven seasons with the Twins before hitting free agency following 2019. He signed a three-year, $28 million contract with the Texas Rangers.
He had a difficult COVID year in 2020 posting a 2-6 record with a 5.35 ERA in 12 starts, but started off 2021 with the Rangers very well. His 6-3 record and 2.87 ERA allowed Texas to flip him to the Phillies.
The righty never found that form in Philadelphia and they ultimately let him walk after a year-and-a-half.
Gibson will now be on his third team in three years after signing this contract with St. Louis.
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