4 Cardinals who have been good but don't need to be resigned

Kyle Gibson has been good but doesn't need to be resigned

Between Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson, the two veteran starters signed to bring stability to the Cardinals rotation, Gibson has certainly been better. While Lynn boasts a lower ERA, his spotty availability while not providing the necessary innings and weaker peripherals make Kyle Gibson by far the better of the two. Gibson has also stabilized a shaky Cardinals clubhouse. In an ideal world, the Cardinals would be able to bring back Gibson, but their glut of mid-tier veteran pitching means he's a bit of a redundancy on the roster.

For the 2025 season, the Cardinals have Sonny Gray, Steven Matz, Miles Mikolas, and Erick Fedde under guaranteed contracts. With Andre Pallante all but having a rotation spot secured for next season, the Cardinals don't need another expensive starter with little upside. St. Louis needs to find and develop young, cost-controlled arms, and bringing back Gibson for 2025 would only be a detriment to that goal. Of course, the Cardinals will have pitching injuries, but having five starters under veteran contracts would not be a wise use of resources.

Michael McGreevy certainly deserves a look after his fantastic spot start while other names such as Gordon Graceffo, Adam Kloffenstein, and Sem Robberse should get chances as well. Quinn Mathews will also likely get chances to start later in the season. And while Gibson is a preferable name over Mikolas or Matz, the Cardinals don't have a choice to let either of the other two starters go with a club option. Trading either or both may be the best decision, but it's unlikely the organization will be able to offload these disappointing contracts.

Gibson has been great in his first season as a Cardinal, but unfortunately, it may have to be his last season as well. Unless St. Louis can find a way to creatively move other contracts, Gibson has no real place on a roster that should prioritize the future.

Matt Carpenter has been good but doesn't need to be resigned

Surprisingly, Matt Carpenter has been one of the Cardinals' better bats this season. It's less a testament to a Carpenter resurgence and more an indictment on the Cardinals offense as a whole, but in his limited time returning to St. Louis, Carpenter has proved quite useful. Despite some recent struggles and stints on the IL, Carpenter has recorded a 95 OPS+ and 0.1 bWAR in his 52 appearances. For someone brought onto the roster as the 26th man and expected to get hardly any playing time, it's quite an impressive stat line.

With the younger players on the Cardinals roster only gaining experience and getting older, Matt Carpenter's presence as a veteran mentor will only be less necessary going forward. With the Cardinals needing more offensive pieces off the bench, there won't be a role for Carpenter going forward. He already isn't getting much playing time despite his productivity, so the Cardinals should look elsewhere to fill that roster spot.

Andrew Kittredge has been good but doesn't need to be resigned

Andrew Kittredge has been one of the Cardinals' most trusted high-leverage relievers this season, and it may almost seem to be a no-brainer to bring him back next year. However, underlying metrics indicate the veteran righty may not be worth bringing back next year. Kittredge's 2.98 ERA is a bit deceptive as his FIP and xERA are over a point higher, indicating he's gotten quite lucky this season.

Entering his age-35 season, Kittredge looks to be a clear candidate for regression in 2025. His hard-hit rate and average exit velocity are both below league average and with the volatility of relief pitchers, the Cardinals should look elsewhere to fill the right-handed setup role alongside JoJo Romero. With Chaim Bloom potentially at the helm, the Cardinals should find more talented pitchers like Ryan Fernandez rather than signing expensive free agents.