Padres Linked to $27 Million All-Star Starting Pitcher in Free Agency

Maren Angus-Coombs | Feb 11, 2025

May 22, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Kyle Gibson (44) pitches against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres need to find one more starting pitcher before Opening Day and there is one still available in free agency who might fit in perfectly.

Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller recently said that the team still hopes to add "an arm or two" which is why Kyle Gibson could be the best option, according to Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report.

"One thing you can count on with Kyle Gibson throughout his career is that he's going to take the ball every fifth day," writes Kelly. "On eight occasions in his career, Gibson has logged 160 or more innings in a season, including doing so in each of the last six full seasons.

"Gibson didn't get great results with the Cardinals a year ago, but there's still value in the fact that he pitched 169.2 innings. There's always a chance as he ages that he's eventually going to hit a wall, but until that happens, he won't have any problem finding work."

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Gibson is set to begin his 13th major league season after debuting with the Minnesota Twins on June 29, 2013. He spent his first seven years with the Twins before moving on to the Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, and most recently, the St. Louis Cardinals.

In 30 starts with the Cardinals last year, he went 8-8 with a 4.24 ERA and 151 strikeouts, marking the fifth time in his career that he accumulated at least 150 batters in a season.

"There will always be a need for starting pitching."

Kyle Gibson remains one of the top starters in free agency.

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— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) February 6, 2025

Gibson earned an All-Star selection in 2021 for his standout performance in the first half of the season with the Texas Rangers and has posted sub-4.00 ERAs in three seasons (2015, 2018, 2021). His durability is also notable, having spent only 74 days on the injured list over the past 12 years — a rare feat for pitchers in today's game.

Over the course of his career, he has compiled a 112-108 record with a 4.52 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and 1,510 strikeouts in 1,865.2 innings across 330 appearances, including 324 starts.

If the price is right for Gibson, it makes sense for the Padres to sign him. He would add depth to a rotation that only have three starters and two question marks heading into spring training.

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