6 overreactions to the first week of the Cardinals' 2024 season

Overreaction 4 - Lynn and Gibson were great offseason acquisitions

When Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson pitch, the Cardinals are 3-0. When someone else pitches, the Cardinals are 1-4. That kind of speaks for itself, right? After an offseason where fans wanted Nola and Yamamoto but were rewarded with Lynn and Gibson, the outrage was rampant. But maybe John Mozeliak made the right call. He didn't make a popular decision, but like so many other times throughout his tenure, he might've made the correct decision.

Lance Lynn's veteran attitude was on full display in his very first inning of work against the Los Angeles Dodgers. After allowing the Big Three of Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman to all reach base, he struck out the side to strand the bases loaded. Even though the rain cut his outing short, Lynn made his statement. He's here to compete.

Kyle Gibson's start against the Padres wasn't as dominant, but it was certainly less shaky. Gibson provided a 7-inning quality start, and despite allowing a pair of solo home runs, he was exactly as advertised. He gave the Cardinals a chance to win, saved the bullpen taxed from a brutal series against the Dodgers, and the Cardinals offense pulled through for a great win. This was no fluke from Gibson either, as many of his starts in a 15-win season last year were very similar. He's a dependent innings eater who keeps his team in the game. For only $13 million, that might've been a steal.

Lynn's second start against the Marlins wasn't as effective as his outing in LA, as he was tagged for four earned runs in less than five innings, but again he held strong long enough for the Cardinals to secure a comeback victory. He allowed three homers to a weak Miami lineup, a lingering problem from last season, but it wasn't an implosion. The important thing is that the Cardinals secured another win.

Unlike starts from Adam Wainwright, Jake Woodford, Drew Rom, Dakota Hudson, and many others last year, Lynn and Gibson give competitive starts. They aren't ace-caliber pitchers, but the Cardinals aren't paying them to be ace-caliber pitchers. Lynn and Gibson have done a successful job of giving the Cardinals a chance to fight for wins, and the lineup has repaid the favor in each outing thus far. Once Sonny Gray returns, the rotation could be a stabilizing force for this team.

Verdict: Pitching can be volatile, so it's too early to tell. However, the early results have been extremely promising, and the rotation has the potential to survive the regular season.