Cardinals Fan-Favorite's Ice-Cold Start Has Justified Decision

The St. Louis Cardinals opened this past offseason by making a few tough decisions.

St. Louis turned the club options for the 2025 season for both Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson. Since then, Lynn announced his retirement and Gibson eventually signed with the Baltimore Orioles after months of radio silence. He didn't sign with the Orioles until March 21st. He landed a one-year, $5.25 million deal.

Gibson began the 2025 season in the minors as he had to build up. He made his season-debut on April 29th and has made three starts to this point. It hasn't been the best start to the season for him. He has made three starts and has pitched to a 13.11 ERA across 11 2/3 innings pitched. He's already given up seven homers and 17 earned runs while striking out just nine batters.

When the Cardinals opted to move on from Gibson, it was a decision that had a somewhat split decision on social media. Some thought it was the right move, while others thought the club should bring him back. There were rumors that the two sides were at least somewhat interested in continuing their partnership during the offseason, but the Cardinals opted to roll with their already surplus of pitching rather than adding more.

The decision clearly has been justified so far this season. FanSided's Zachary Rotman weighed in on this topic and also agrees.

"On the flip side, without Gibson, the Cardinals' rotation has been mostly good," Rotman said. "They rank 10th in the majors in ERA, eighth in innings pitched, and seventh in fWAR. They have so much starting pitching depth, in fact, to the point where Steven Matz, who has pitched well, has been relegated to the bullpen, and Michael McGreevy is in Triple-A.

"Letting Gibson go wasn't a hard decision, especially for a team that was supposedly entering a retool, as he is currently 37 years old. Still, there was no reason to expect things to go this poorly for Gibson who looks like he doesn't belong at the MLB level right now."

Gibson had a great year for the Cardinals in 2024 but it was the right call to move on.