Kyle Gibson and the Baltimore Orioles have reached a deal on a one-year contract, sources telling ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The right-hander spent a season and a half with the Philadelphia Phillies, who acquired him from the Texas Rangers in July 2021. In 42 starts, Gibson was 14-14 with a 5.06 ERA with two scoreless relief appearances in this year’s postseason.
Right-hander Kyle Gibson and the Baltimore Orioles are in agreement on a contract, pending physical, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN.
The Orioles have targeted pitching this winter, and the 35-year-old Gibson is the first domino. They should be in play for other arms.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 3, 2022
Kyle Gibson Heads to the AL East
While Gibson wasn’t that successful during his Phillies tenure, he maintained consistency by throwing five to six innings per start. In addition, he stayed healthy to complement a rotation that includes Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler. Last season, Gibson was second on the Phillies rotation with 31 starts and went 10-8 with a 5.05 ERA. He allowed 24 home runs, the fourth-most in the National League.
Altogether, he was an average pitcher for someone who was making $7.67 million. However, one other team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, checked in on the free agent. Pirates general manager Ben Cherington had a video call with the 35-year-old but ultimately went with Baltimore instead. Gibson is a workhorse who could help the Orioles fill a back-of-rotation spot.
As a rookie, he mostly threw sinkers. But this year, his usage of that pitch hit a career-low 28 percent as he relied more on his cutter and slider. His cutter was thrown just 21.3 percent of the time, the fifth-highest rate in the National League. It’s a pitch that has become a bigger part of his arsenal, producing a 37 percent ground ball rate with a 25 percent strike/whiff rate.
Gibson made his first lone All-Star appearance in 2021 before the Rangers-Phillies trade. He has an 89-91 record with a 4.52 ERA in 10 major league seasons with the Minnesota Twins, Rangers and Phillies.
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