Cardinals $13M Fan-Favorite Predicted To Dump St. Louis For Rangers

The Cardinals certainly will look different in 2025

Jul 26, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; The hat and glove of Texas Rangers fielder Leody Taveras (3) during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images / John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals made some very underrated moves last offseason.

St. Louis was coming off its worst season in recent memory in 2023. Nothing seemed to be working right, and the Cardinals tried to fill many holes, with the starting rotation being the most obvious. The Cardinals struck early in free agency and landed Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn, and Kyle Gibson.

All were solid pickups for the Cardinals and served their roles well. While this is the case, the only one who seems likely to return in 2025 is Gray, and even that isn't guaranteed. The Cardinals are trying to cut payroll after missing the playoffs again. There's been talk of trading Gray but he has a no-trade clause.

Gibson and Lynn both had their club options turned down for the 2025 season. There still has been some chatter about the team possibly bringing Gibson back.

Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer predicted this won't be the case, though, and speculated that Gibson will end up signing a $10 million deal with the Texas Rangers.

"Only Max Scherzer and Gerrit Cole have pitched more innings than Gibson over the last 11 seasons," Rymer said. "So he has that going for him, which helps distract from how he's been a below average pitcher (i.e., 93 ERA+) for his career.

"Gibson fits best as a back-end guy, preferably for a team with a solid infield defense. To the tune of a 50.1 GB percent, his primary mode of procuring outs involves getting hitters to put the ball on the ground. Signs with Texas Rangers for one-year, $10 million,"

This would be a slight pay cut for him after making $13 million in 2024 with St. Louis. If the Cardinals want to bring him back, they are going to have to move quickly but it just doesn't seem likely.

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