Cardinals act quickly to address rotation but still have room for a top starter

It was evident that the St. Louis Cardinals would pursue starting pitching additions this offseason, with likely three spots in the rotation that need to be filled. Right-hander Miles Mikolas and lefty Steven Matz are expected to return in 2024. Only two others who started for the club this season (Dakota Hudson and Matthew Liberatore) remain on the roster. 

Much of the early offseason speculation linked the Cardinals to the top free agent options available, Aaron Nola and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Nola re-signed with the Phillies last week, and it's unclear how actively he engaged other clubs before agreeing to a new deal to remain with Philadelphia. The Cardinals might have gotten the chance to make a formal offer. 

Yamamoto's posting window officially opened Tuesday. Teams have 45 days to agree to a contract with the right-hander. The three-time Sawamura Award winner is expected to draw interest from the Yankees, Mets, Giants and Red Sox, among others. The Cardinals will have strong competition for his services. 

St. Louis, meanwhile, has acted quickly to address the rest of their rotation. 

On Monday, the club announced that it had signed right-hander Lance Lynn to a one-year deal with a team option. On Tuesday, USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported that the team had agreed to a similar deal with right-hander Kyle Gibson. Neither Lynn nor Gibson, both 36, would qualify as a pennant-changing addition, but both pitchers bring experience and consistency to the Cardinals rotation. 

Lynn threw 183.2 innings this past season between the White Sox and Dodgers, posting a 5.73 ERA and 1.394 WHIP. The results following a midseason trade to Los Angeles were much improved, however. 

Gibson, meanwhile, pitched 192 innings for the Orioles with a 4.73 ERA and 1.318 WHIP.