Potential Cardinals overhaul could still leave All-Star veteran marked safe

Where things head for the St. Louis Cardinals this offseason is ultimately up to the players on the field down the final month-and-change of the regular season. The club entered Saturday's matchup with the Minnesota Twins at 64-64 on the season, five games out of the final NL Wild Card spot and looking highly unlikely to see the postseason.

Still, a strong push to the finish line could have fans and, more importantly, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak hopeful they can build upon this roster in the offseason and construct a contending team. On the flip side, however, if things go south or even stay level as they are now, there have been rumblings that the Cardinals could throw a grenade at the roster, blowing it all up.

In that light, MLB insider Mark Feinsand recently dropped a fascinating nugget about St. Louis' plans, namely talking about one player who is likely to be back with the Cardinals for the 2025 season no matter what direction Mozeliak and the team take in the offseason.

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MLB Rumors: Cardinals could keep Kyle Gibson in St. Louis no matter what

Feinsand broke down a number of players with player and club options for the 2025 season and which ones are the likeliest to be picked up. Among them was veteran right-hander Kyle Gibson, who signed with the Cardinals this offseason on a one-year deal but with an equal-value club option for next year.

And the MLB insider made it seem as if all roads lead to St. Louis exercising that option and keeping the late-30s starter in the building after a solid campaign:

"Gibson is 7-5 with a 4.22 ERA in 24 starts this season, one of three St. Louis starters to log more than 130 innings to this point. Gibson’s option is for the same salary he earned in 2024, making it a distinct possibility the Cardinals will exercise the option for back-end rotation depth."

A "distinct possibility" isn't a guarantee, to be sure, but the language in Feinsand's discussion all indicates this being a likely direction for the Redbirds. And why wouldn't it be? Yes, Gibson hasn't looked like an All-Star (which he was in 2021) in St. Louis, but for a guy who was brought in to fill out the rotation, eat innings, and not blow up, he's largely done his part and perhaps a bit more.

So paying just the $12 million that his option would give him makes all the sense in the world, roster teardown or not. If the front office keeps the band together, then having Gibson fill the same role obviously behooves them. Should things go the opposite direction, they'll still need that innings-eating veteran presence that Gibson could provide.

When you think of the Cardinals future and the ways things could go, you might not consider Kyle Gibson as one of the pieces worth keeping in the building. But the more you unpack it with his affordable club option, he might be perfect for the 2025 club, no matter which form they end up taking.