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Fantasy Baseball Index

Cardinals beef up pitching rotation by signing Lynn, Gibson

The St. Louis Cardinals finished the 2023 Major League Baseball season with a 71-91 record, putting them out of playoff contention. They are trying to avoid another disappointing finish by signing pitchers Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson to one-year deals.

Lynn has previously played for the Cardinals for six seasons, winning the 2011 World Series title during his rookie year. After playing for St. Louis, Lynn suited up for the Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, and Los Angeles Dodgers.

He returns to the Cardinals on a contract worth $11 million with performance incentives and an option in 2025.

Last season, the 36-year-old pitcher had a 7-2 record in 11 games for the Dodgers. He had 47 strikeouts and gave up 59 hits in 64 innings pitched. Lynn has received votes for the Cy Young Award thrice in his career. The right-handed pitcher also became an All-Star in 2012 with the Cardinals and in 2021 with the White Sox.

Meanwhile, Kyle Gibson agreed to a deal worth $12 million with the Cardinals. Like Lynn, he was also a 2021 MLB All-Star while suiting for the Philadelphia Phillies. Before his stint in the City of Brotherly Love, he suited up for the Minnesota Twins for seven seasons and the Texas Rangers for two seasons.

After playing for Philadelphia, Gibson had a one-year stint with the Baltimore Orioles last season, finishing with a 15-9 win-loss record despite leading the American League in hits allowed with 198. He had a 4.73 earned run average while striking out 157 batters.

Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson are expected to upgrade the Cardinals' starting pitching rotation, featuring Miles Mikolas, Steven Matz, and Zack Thompson. FanGraphs projects that Gibson and Lynn will be the second and third starting pitchers for the Cardinals behind Mikolas. Their addition also gives St. Louis four projected starters of at least 32 years old.

-Lance Fernandez

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