Cardinals Predicted To Turn Down Option For $12 Million All-Star

Will the Cardinals bring the All-Star back in 2025?

Jul 12, 2020; St. Louis, Missouri, United States; A view of empty seats as the St. Louis Cardinals play a simulated game at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals spent last offseason looking for a way to add more veteran depth to the organization but some of the players who could be elsewhere in 2025.

St. Louis entered last offseason looking to add to the starting rotation. The Cardinals added Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn, and Kyle Gibson to help fix the rotation. The moves worked and St. Louis was better in 2024, although it missed the playoffs.

Now, changes are expected in St. Louis. The Cardinals want to trim payroll, and an easy way to do so would be to decline Gibson's club option for the 2025 season. It is worth $12 million and has a $1 million buyout.

The Cardinals will have to make a decision shortly after the World Series ends, and Spotrac's Michael Ginnitti predicted that St. Louis will turn the deal down.

"Kyle Gibson (starting pitcher, Cardinals)," Ginnitti said. "Option: $12M ($1M buyout). The numbers aren’t popping off of the screen (and never really have), but Gibson has been a model of consistency for the better part of two decades.

"The 36-year-old ate up 170 innings across 30 starts in 2024 and can be brought back at the same $12M salary he earned last season ($1M buyout otherwise). Prediction: Declined."

Gibson was everything that the Cardinals could've hoped for in 2024. He ate up innings and had a 4.24 ERA across 30 starts. The one-time All-Star was steady for the Cardinals in 2024, but the deal may be bigger than the Cardinals want to spend.

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