Veteran right-handed pitcher has agreed to a one-year contract with the Baltimore Orioles, the team confirmed on Friday. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the deal is valued at $5.25 million and includes up to $1.525 million in potential performance bonuses. The 37-year-old, set to begin his 13th MLB season, returns for a second stint with the Orioles after a successful 2024 season with the St. Louis Cardinals.
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Kyle Gibson Offers Stability to Orioles Rotation
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Despite being in his late 30s, Kyle Gibson has demonstrated that he still has plenty left to offer. In 2024, he posted an 8-8 record with a 4.24 ERA—his best season-long ERA in three years and an improvement over his career mark of 4.52. He also recorded 151 strikeouts and a 1.350 WHIP.
Gibson was a reliable presence for the Cardinals, making 30 starts and pitching 169 2/3 innings while averaging 5 ⅔ innings per outing. He remained healthy throughout the season, missing time only briefly in June for a bereavement leave.
As a back-end starter in Baltimore’s rotation, Gibson will help take pressure off the bullpen, as he rarely exits games early. While he may not dominate in low-scoring duels, he is capable of delivering five-inning outings while allowing four or fewer runs—keeping the Orioles competitive as long as their offense delivers.
The Next Stop on a Journeyman Career
Gibson is set to join his fifth team in as many years. He spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Minnesota Twins before signing with the Texas Rangers, where he played for two years before being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2021. After his time in Philadelphia, he joined the Orioles in 2023 and then moved to the Cardinals for the 2024 season.
Over his career, Gibson has posted a .509 winning percentage with a 4.52 ERA. He has thrown at least 165 innings in each of the past four seasons and recorded over 140 strikeouts in each of those years. In 2021, he earned a spot on the AL All-Star Team while with the Rangers.
Following the 2024 season, the Cardinals declined their 2025 option on Gibson, resulting in a $1 million payout for the veteran pitcher. The organization is undergoing a soft rebuild, and Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak emphasized that the decision was not performance-related.
“We’re certainly in a different spot than we were a year ago,” Mozeliak said this offseason. “But yes, those veteran guys did everything that we had hoped for.”
Gibson is set to join his fifth team in as many years. He spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Minnesota Twins before signing with the Texas Rangers, where he played for two years before being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2021. After his time in Philadelphia, he joined the Orioles in 2023 and then moved to the Cardinals for the 2024 season.
Over his career, Gibson has posted a .509 winning percentage with a 4.52 ERA. He has thrown at least 165 innings in each of the past four seasons and recorded over 140 strikeouts in each of those years. In 2021, he earned a spot on the AL All-Star Team while with the Rangers.
Following the 2024 season, the Cardinals declined their 2025 option on Gibson, resulting in a $1 million payout for the veteran pitcher. The organization is undergoing a soft rebuild, and Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak emphasized that the decision was not performance-related.
“We’re certainly in a different spot than we were a year ago,” Mozeliak said this offseason. “But yes, those veteran guys did everything that we had hoped for.”
Gibson’s Wide Arsenal of Pitches
The right-handed pitcher possesses a diverse six-pitch repertoire. He can still reach the low 90s with his fastball and sinker, with the sinker being his most frequently used pitch at 26% and the fastball ranking fourth at 13%.
Gibson takes some velocity off with his cutter and changeup, both of which sit in the mid-to-high 80s. He relies on his cutter second most, throwing it 21% of the time, while his changeup is his fifth most-used pitch at 10%.
For his breaking pitches, Gibson significantly reduces his speed. He throws his sweeper 21% of the time, averaging in the low 80s, while his curveball, the slowest pitch in his arsenal, is used just 9% of the time, coming in around the high .
