Cardinals Vet Predicted To Cut Ties With St. Louis For $13M Blue Jays Deal

Where will the Cardinals veteran sign this winter?

Apr 27, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A pair of Toronto Blue Jays hats and gloves in the dugout during the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images / John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

There are a handful of St. Louis Cardinals veterans hitting free agency this winter.

St. Louis recently cut ties with veteran hurlers Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson by turning down the duo's club options for the 2025 season. There's always a chance that either could return to the Cardinals on a lower deal, but it shouldn't be considered likely.

Gibson will be a highly sought-after free agent this winter. He was steady for the Cardinals this season and was everything the team could've hoped for. Gibson certainly will have a solid market this winter and MLB Trade Rumors' Steve Adams predicted he will sign with the Toronto Blue Jays on a one-year, $13 million deal.

"Kyle Gibson: One year, $13MM," MLB Trade Rumors posted. "Tim: Angels / Anthony: Rangers / Darragh: Nationals / Steve: Blue Jays. Gibson’s mantra may as well be “have innings, will travel.” The only two pitchers with more innings dating back to 2014 are Max Scherzer and Gerrit Cole. Gibson was a fixture in the rotation for the Twins, who selected him in the first round of the ’09 draft, from 2014-19. He’s since pitched for four different clubs and is now likely to land with a new club yet again after the rebuilding Cardinals began their offseason by declining his 2025 club option...

"St. Louis didn’t decline Gibson’s option due to anything performance-related. It was a move solely designed to reduce payroll and open innings for younger arms. Gibson did everything they could’ve asked in 2024, starting 30 games and turning in a solid 4.24 ERA with a 20.9 percent strikeout rate, 9.4 percent walk rate, and 44.8 percent grounder rate. Since breaking in as a full-time starter, Gibson has been a regular source of 29+ starts per year, only falling shy in 2020 (when he started a full slate of 12 games in the shortened schedule) and in 2016, when he started 25 games."

Don't be shocked if Gibson signs elsewhere this winter.

More MLB: Cardinals $15 Million Beloved Star Told To Leave St. Louis To Join Astros