Can Lance Lynn And Kyle Gibson Turn Around The Cardinals?
Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson are two veteran pitchers who still have some gas left in the tank. However, are they what the St. Louis Cardinals need right now? Are we sure this team is still in win-now mode? We just saw them limp through 2023 with a 71-91 record, good for last in the NL Central. Yes, there are some great players on the Cards right now. But a pair of aging starters does not exactly move the needle toward serious World Series contention.
Remember what we saw in the playoffs this year? Lynn was absolutely brutal. It felt like the Dodgers had him out there because there was simply no one else available. The Diamondbacks had their way with him in Game 3 of the NLDS, putting up four runs on six hits in less than three innings pitched. Betting on a bounceback year when he’s pushing 37 years does not make sense if I’m John Mozeliak. However, Cardinals fans can understand and explain his thought process a lot better than I can.
A Band-Aid For A Gunshot
These moves just scream desperation. Nothing against either pitcher because they have had long and mostly fruitful careers in the majors up until now. I would just think that both of them would be much better suited to be a fourth or fifth starter for a contender. Instead, they need to partially replace the workload of Adam Wainwright, Jack Flaherty, and Jordan Montgomery. It’s a tall order for guys who do not have a ton of tread left on their tires. If I am in the front office over there I’d take a long hard look at the competitiveness of this roster rather than throwing money into the wind…
The Cardinals have made some major mistakes over the years. While these moves likely won’t hurt them down the road, it certainly doesn’t look like they will help too much for 2024.
