3 Cardinals offseason mistakes that could get John Mozeliak fired
By Curt Bishop
2. Adding two aging starters to Cardinals rotation
When the Cardinals came into the offseason, they set a clear goal to add three starters from outside the organization. They did that, but two of the three they added are 36 years old and coming off of bad seasons.
On Nov. 20, the team gave Lance Lynn a one-year, $10 million contract to return to where his career started. He won 13 games in 2023, but posted a 5.73 ERA and gave up 44 home runs, the most of any pitcher in baseball.
The following day, Mozeliak signed Kyle Gibson to a one-year, $12 million contract. And while Gibson won 15 games, his ERA wasn't too much better than Lynn's, as he posted a 4.73 mark in 2023 and allowed the most hits of any American League pitcher.
Even Sonny Gray, their new ace, is 34 years old.
The Cardinals would have been better served choosing between Lynn or Gibson if they were going to add just three starting pitchers to their rotation. And when Gray injured his hamstring, the band-aid was ripped off, exposing just how weak the rotation was without their ace at the top.
The Cardinals rotation is one of the oldest in all of baseball, and it's fair for fans to be concerned about how everything plays out in 2024.