Cardinals decline 2025 options for Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn, seek ‘maximum flexibility’
Listen now and subscribe: |
In the opening hours of the offseason, the Cardinals offered the first direct glimpse of how they intend to trim down and reshape their roster as part of the organizational "reset."
The Cardinals declined club options for 2025 on starters Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn as well as the option on reliever Keynan Middleton.
In confirming the decisions, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said the team seeks "maximum flexibility." He added that the Cardinals aren't closing the door to further discussions with any of the three players.
Of the three options decisions, the most compelling was Gibson's.
The veteran right-hander and Mizzou alum helped stabilize the rotation with his 30 starts and 4.24 ERA. He also was one of the galvanizing presences in the clubhouse, from mentoring young starters like Andre Pallante to approaching manager Oliver Marmol about having a father's road trip that was roundly applauded a tradition that should continue for the Cardinals.
Signed a year ago as free agents, Gibson and Lynn each had a $12-million option for 2025.
By declining these options, the Cardinals exercise one of the most direct routes they have to shed salary — dropping a total of $30 million from their potential 2025 spending. The Cardinals due will owe each player a $1-million buyout of the club option.
All three become free agents.
They are eligible to sign with other teams when the market opens Monday after the five-day exclusive window that began Thursday with the conclusion the previous night of the World Series.
Gibson, who turned 37 this past week, expressed an interest in returning to the Cardinals for the 2025 season. He makes his offseason home in the Ƶ, and this past week he helped raise more than $40,000 for Franklin County's school meals program at a charity event that teammate Paul Goldschmidt and former Cardinals Kyle McClellan and Brad Thompson attended.
Middleton missed the entire season due to injury, though he remained around the clubhouse and present for home games during his rehab. Late in the season, Middleton expressed an interest in reworking his contract so that he could return and pitch for the Cardinals, though he said he had not held any conversations with the club about it.
Originally drafted by the Cardinals, Lynn returned for the 2024 season to bring some of the experience and veteran guidance the club felt it lacked in 2023. Lynn, now 37, finished the year on the injured list with a swollen and painful knee that he pitched through during the year. He had a 3.84 ERA and 7-4 record in 23 starts for the Cardinals, and along the way he surpassed 2,000 career strikeouts before he also reached 2,000 innings pitched.
As he awaited the Cardinals' decision, Lynn said he intended to pitch in 2025, either back in Ƶ or elsewhere.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
Ten Hochman: OK, World Series is over. As Cardinals' rebuild begins, here are predictions
Hochman: Catching up with the Cardinals’ ‘Rocket Slayer,’ Roger Cedeno, 20 Octobers later
October 21, 2004 - Scott Rolen celebrates with teammates after hitting a two run homer run to take the lead in the sixth inning of Thursday's League Championship Series game between the Cardinals and Astros at Busch Stadium in Ƶ, Mo. Photo by CHRIS LEE, Ƶ
Chris Lee
In the summer of 1999, baseball’s second-best “Roger C” faced its best one.
And one of Roger Cedeno’s Mets teammates had just rocketed a homer off “The Rocket.”
“So, Roger Clemens, he threw me a ball close to me — I felt like he did it on purpose,” said Cedeno, who later played for the famed 2004 Ƶ Cardinals, by phone Monday. “You know, to push me out of the way of home plate. Maybe not on purpose to hit me, but to push me off the plate. Or send me a warning, I don’t know. But from that particular moment, he woke up a lion.”
Now 50 years old, Cedeno laughed uproariously about his proclamation.
“From that particular moment,” Cedeno continued, “I was like, 'You know what, every time I get in there, I gotta get this guy. I gotta make him pay.'”
In five plate appearances in 1999 against the Yankees’ Clemens, Cedeno had two hits and a walk.
Thus began one of the more improbable circumstances in baseball — Roger Cedeno owning Roger Clemens.
In Cedeno’s 11 seasons, he only started 100 or more games five times.
Yet in his career, this part-time player went 11-for-26 with six walks against the iconic Clemens. Cedeno hit .423 with a .531 on-base percentage in those plate appearances.
And on April 4, 2004 (04/04/04), the Mets traded the outfielder Cedeno to Ƶ for Wilson Delgado. The 2004 Cardinals went 105-57 — they are considered one of the greatest teams to ever make a World Series but lose (the Red Sox, sorry to bring this up, swept the Cards that October). On the year, the switch-hitting Cedeno hit .265 in 200 at-bats for Ƶ, while socking two homers, driving in 23 runs, stealing five bases and logging a .702 OPS.
And in a September game against Houston, Cedeno hit a single and double off of … yup, Roger Clemens, who would win the 2004 Cy Young with an 18-4 record and a 2.98 ERA.
Sure enough, the Cardinals faced the Astros in the 2004 National League Championship Series. Ƶ hadn’t advanced to the World Series since 1987. But the Astros led the series, 3-2, until Jim Edmonds hit his season-saving walk-off homer in the 12th inning of Game 6.
October 21, 2004.
Twenty Octobers ago.
Game 7. Busch Stadium II in Ƶ. Jeff Suppan vs. Clemens.
Entering the bottom of the sixth, Houston led, 2-1.
Suppan’s spot led off the Cards' half of the inning, so manager Tony La Russa pinch hit for his pitcher.
Roger Cedeno vs. Roger Clemens.
Ball one.
Ball two.
Strike one.
And on the fourth pitch, Cedeno smacked a ground-ball single just past the diving second baseman Jeff Kent.
Edgar Renteria bunted Cedeno to second. One out.
Larry Walker grounded out, but Cedeno scurried to third. Two outs.
“I’ve got this memory,” Cedeno shared. “I was on third base. I’ll never forget the moment Albert Pujols went from the on-deck circle to home plate — I could see it (in him). I know I’m going to score.”
Pujols indeed doubled in Cedeno to tie the game, 2-2.
The next at-bat was the famous one — Scott Rolen’s two-run homer off “The Rocket.”
The Cardinals went on to win the game, 5-2. Roger Cedeno was heading to his first-ever fall classic.
“That was my best year in my whole career, because every player wants to play in the World Series,” said Cedeno, who played 11 big-league seasons with the Dodgers, Mets, Astros, Tigers, Mets (again) and Cardinals. “You just want to be part of the team. And to have the opportunity to play with the greatest person and the greatest player, Albert Pujols? For me, it couldn’t be better.”
Cedeno would go 1 for 4 in the fall classic.
He would play for the 2005 Cardinals, too, but hit just .158 in 57 at-bats. He was released by the team in June and never played in the majors again.
He’s now a baseball coach at the IMG Academy in Florida, where he specializes in outfield and baserunning coaching.
“I gotta tell you something — I think I found my passion,” he said of coaching. “For me, I mean, I can’t even explain it. God brought me here for a purpose.”
And back in Ƶ, many fans will forever remember Cedeno, well, as “The Rocket Slayer.”
“This is the greatest life I've ever lived,” says ex-baseball star Darryl Strawberry, now in the Ƶ area. “It wasn't my baseball career, it wasn't my success.”
After breakout, Cardinals prospect Jimmy Crooks looks to add explosiveness this offseason
Listen now and subscribe: |
A year ago, while in the Arizona Fall League, Cardinals prospect Jimmy Crooks found himself needing to adjust the frequency of his playing time.
At the time, Crooks had come off a first full minor league season that included playing in 115 regular season games as Class High-A Peoria’s primary catcher. But while in the fall league, Crooks went from being an everyday player for Peoria to having the second-fewest plate appearances among players on his team.
That experience and adjustments to the playing time set the stage for the 23-year-old to produce a 2024 season that earned him Cardinals minor league player of the year and Texas League MVP honors.
“That was more of a mental thing for me out there because I go from playing every day to playing like once or twice during the week. … The level of competition out there was really good,” Crooks said earlier this month via Zoom. “I mean, you’re facing pitchers that are just dudes in each program. It was good. It was good for me.”
During his second full minor league season, the fourth-round pick from the 2023 MLB draft batted .321 with a .410 on-base percentage, and a .498 slugging percentage in 90 regular season games with Class AA Springfield. Crooks hit 11 home runs, 19 doubles, and drove in 62 runs during a season that had some limitations because of a hamstring injury and a broken finger. Crooks’ .908 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) led Cardinals minor leaguers who had 350 or more plate appearances and was fifth among catching prospects across the minors who met the same qualifications.
Cardinals catching prospect Jimmy Crooks watches live batting practice at the team’s spring training complex in Jupiter, Fla., on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023.
David Carson, Post-Dispatch
In 81 games from behind the plate, Crooks threw out 25 of 76 stolen base attempts for a 33% caught stealing rate — a 6% increase from his 2023 rate — and showed improvements with blocking and receiving.
Crooks’ efforts helped Springfield to a franchise-best 79-59 record and a second consecutive playoff appearance.
“Definitely the combination of defense and hitting, being able to do both makes you dream that he could be an everyday big league catcher,” Springfield manager Jose Leger said of Crooks during a phone interview in September. “… I’ve been surprised with everything that he has brought to the table. I saw the talent, obviously, but being able to do it on a consistent basis is not an easy thing to do, especially with the position that he plays. But he’s grown in his leadership, too, and the guys like throwing to him. He cares. He’s a winner.”
The breakout season made Crooks the third catcher to be named Cardinals minor league player of the year. He positioned himself as the organization’s top catching prospect heading into 2025 and is expected to be Class AAA Memphis’ everyday catcher next season.
“I’m still trying to figure out the little routines and trying to stay healthy because I did have two injuries this year,” Crooks said. “I think it’s more of a mental thing for me to where this next coming year or spring training, just have a better routine with myself, try to stay healthy, and just keep working with it.”
This past season, Crooks landed on the injured list on April 20 after suffering a hamstring injury during a road series in Amarillo, Texas. He returned to Springfield’s lineup on May 1 and produced a .266/.420/.344 slash line in the first 20 games he played in upon his return. The 23-year-old left-handed hitter kicked off June with a four-hit game, which began a 57-game stretch where he batted .335 with a .558 slugging percentage and a .962 before landing on the IL on Aug. 27 with a broken finger.
Crooks returned from the finger injury on Sept. 10 and had seven hits in 25 at-bats in seven games — three of which were postseason games.
“It’ll help me mentally and physically to where I need to start working on all that stuff so that I could just play pretty much a whole season without one injury. But it’s kind of hard in the position that I am,” Crooks said of the injuries he faced.
What Crooks learned from the time he missed during the regular season will help shape his offseason.
This offseason, Crooks looks to add more explosiveness in his lower half, more notably in his hamstrings. He feels that improvements in that area can benefit him in getting stronger and finding more torque in his swing. It would also benefit him in preventing fatigue in his legs that comes with a full season of catching.
With his swing, he feels there is “a little tinkering around with it” to be done that could unlock some more power while keeping his same approach. He described a similar process of minor adjustments and a consistent approach as a key that helped him to a career-best .498 slugging percentage this past season.
As for his work behind the plate, “repetition” in the fundamentals will be a focus ahead of a 2025 season where he is expected to be in a prominent role and a step away from the majors.
“I’m starting to get more comfortable as we go,” Crooks said. “That’s what I feel like. I start to get a lot more comfortable with game calling, just how I play, and everything like that. I guess as the years go on, I’m going to start getting more comfortable, trust my stuff, and then get after it.”
What Steven Matz went to Arizona to learn, and why he wants to stay with Cardinals
The Cardinals’ Steven Matz pitches against Seattle on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, at Busch Stadium.
Allie Schallert, Post-Dispatch
Listen now and subscribe: |
Shortly after he threw the final pitch of his 2024 season with the Cardinals, lefty Steven Matz jetted to Arizona to deliver the first pitch of his preparation for 2025, even though he, like several of his teammates, is unsure where this offseason will ultimately take him.
Matz bolted from the end of the regular season straight to a cutting-edge baseball training facility in Arizona for a two-day evaluation of his pitches, delivery, and biomechanics. While there he learned about a subtle, unexpected twist in his curveball he could address and picked up some drills to use this winter. Entering the final year of his contract with the Cardinals, Matz does not yet know if he’ll be a starter — or, for that matter, if a trade will relocate where he’ll start — in the coming season. But he does have a preference.
It’s the place he expected this journey to take him.
“I would love to be back in Ƶ and start,” Matz said during a recent conversation over the phone. “I just really want to have sustained success for one season. When you sign there, you’re just like, man, you want to prove it was worthwhile. And I feel like I’ve got one more year to show that. We’ve made a lot of progress in a lot of areas — really working with the training staff — and it feels like we’re pushing in the right direction. You want to finish strong.”
Matz, 33, missed the majority of this past season due to a lower back injury and an irritated disk that took longer to alleviate and a monthlong rehab assignment to return.
In Matz’s first three seasons of a four-year contract with the Cardinals, injuries interrupted each of them. He’s yet to make more than 25 appearances or more than 17 starts in any one summer. When he returned from the most recent absence, Matz made one start and then, with the rotation full, shifted to an elastic role in bullpen. The lefty is due $12 million for the coming season, and he’s one of the players the Cardinals will entertain trade talks as they look to reduce payroll. At his salary, there will be at least a few teams interested in him as a starter or reliever, two baseball officials not with the Cardinals said.
Away from the box scores and often behind the scenes, Matz and the Cardinals have been working toward improvements in his health and pitching that he would like to see come to fruition with the team of people who helped him. The lefty offered as an example how the Cardinals training and coaching staff gave him a targeted offseason program a year ago. It improved the efficiency of his delivery — and the result in spring was the swiftest strike he’d ever thrown, at 97 mph.
“To his credit, he’s a guy who has been continuing to pursue finding a better edge, finding ways to be a better pitcher,” Cardinals pitching coach Dusty Blake said this week. “There are four ways to do that — command, stuff and velocity, knowledge of the game, and knowledge of yourself. He’s into it. And he’s not afraid to go outside of his comfort zone to find it.”
Cardinals starting pitcher Steven Matz, left, and pitching coach Dusty Blake talk in the dugout in the third inning against the Miami Marlins at Busch Stadium in Ƶ on Saturday, April 6, 2024.
David Carson, Post-Dispatch
That search took him to Driveline Baseball in Arizona this month.
“I went with an open mind,” Matz said.
A visit arranged by his agent and encouraged by the Cardinals came immediately after the season so that he was able to throw at full-strength, as close to game-ready as the situation would allow. Matz threw a scoreless inning in the Cardinals’ 6-1 season finale victory at San Francisco to finish an otherwise frustrating year of seven starts and a 5.08 ERA. After a few days of rest, his first day in Arizona was spent throwing a bullpen session of around 50 to 60 pitches.
“We were focused on grips and pitch movement and pitch design,” Matz said of the first day. “The curveball — I just wanted to be consistent with it. Something I can anchor on. We kind of discovered — and this is the big one — it’s really my grip. I do some things with my fingers on it as I’m throwing that I never knew.”
Matz once saw a still photo of him throwing a curveball in the majors and noticed that his index finger was bent and dug in — or spiked up. (“I was like, ‘What the heck?’ he said.) He does not intend to throw a spike curve, and yet the motion-capture technology at Driveline helped show how he gets into that grip.
He shifts into it during his delivery.
As his hand points back toward the second baseman, so does his middle finger — lifting off the ball while his index finger creeps up to gain its grip. That creates the spike. And all of that causes a shift in the seams that can contribute to his curve’s inconsistent traits. Not knowing what to expect from the pitch alters when and how he has felt confident using it.
“So, when I’m 2-1 (count) and have a great opportunity to throw a curveball, I just throw a changeup because I can trust it more,” Matz said. “And then the hitter can eliminate that pitch.”
For several years, the Cardinals, like other teams, have used high-tech, high-speed cameras to record pitch grips during bullpens and spot ways to improve pitch spin, consistency, and effectiveness. Such tools have helped pitchers like Andre Pallante develop a sinker or Miles Mikolas find a slider. Those cameras focus on the hand as it passes higher than the shoulder and onto the pitch’s release. Matz’s shift took place as he brought his arm back. It took the full-body spectrum of motion-capture — technology the Cardinals are looking at as they invest in new tools — to discern the subtle shift in Matz’s grip.
He showed the grip he started with — and saw where he ended.
He experimented with beginning the pitch with the raised knuckle of a spike grip.
“Sometimes it would go more sideways, sometimes it goes more up and down — which is what I want it to do,” Matz said. “When I preset (the spike grip), I got the shape of my curveball that I wanted to throw every time. It’s an indoor bullpen. I’m not wearing cleats. I’m not facing a hitter. So there are a lot of other variables there and more to do. But I got the movement I wanted every time.”
In that final inning of 2024, Matz threw one curveball. He did rev-up his sinker to 96.2 mph and averaged 95 mph on the 10 he threw. That was more than 1 mph faster than his average. He noted that when he appeared as a reliever the game was usually decided, and hitters weren’t spending a lot of time picking apart his tendencies as a long reliever. As a starter? Matz said that’s when hitters do their homework and “want to get to you.” The curve, minus the twist and plus the spike, gives him something else to get them.
Matz’s second day in Arizona was spent going over the data collected and discussing drills that would “clean up some” deficiencies in his delivery. Some reinforce things he was already working on with the Cardinals, including the orientation of shoulders to his hips and his left arm to his torso.
His offseason workouts began this week — giving him a month earlier start than a year ago. Matz described how after his visit to Arizona and seeing how he can “continue building on all we did last year is exciting stuff, and it’s a good time of year to be energized about next year.” That sentiment was how he concluded an interview, which he did while motoring from Ƶ to his offseason home near Nashville.
He hoped the road he was on leads back to where that drive started.
“You get a sense of what’s happening,” Matz said of the Cardinals. “I want to see it through. You go through injuries, and you learn each time, and you try to get better. You want it to feel like it’s coming to a head, that we put it all together. And you want that to be here with these people. We went through it. We learned. And here it is. Now we can put it into action.”
