Longtime Minnesota Twins Starter Suddenly Out of a Job

The 2025 Minnesota Twins own a 26-20 record and entered their getaway day game Sunday vs the Milwaukee Brewers in the midst of a 13-game winning streak. The bats have been better lately but this winning streak has been driven throughout by the pitching staff, which has been among the best in baseball.

Their prowess on the bump afforded them an opportunity to demote struggling starter Simeon Woods Richardson, in favor of higher-ceiling young depth in Zebby Matthews. Not every team is afforded that kind of pitching luxury.

Kyle Gibson DFA’d by Baltimore Orioles

Like the Baltimore Orioles, whose early season pitching struggles has dropped them to 0-6 against the Twins this season, and 15-29 overall. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde has already been fired. And on Sunday, former Minnesota Twins 1st round pick Kyle Gibson was cut loose.

The Baltimore Orioles, who signed veteran starter Kyle Gibson to 1-year, $5.25 million this spring, cuts ties with him after 4 starts and 12.1 innings (0-3, 16.78 ERA).

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) May 18, 2025

Gibson gave the Orioles 12 1/3 innings across four starts. He allowed a whopping 29 hits, 23 runs, seven homers, and had just a 10/7 K/BB. To say a 16.78 ERA doesn’t do it justice is probably eye-opening enough.

This spring, the Baltimore Orioles sought additional pitching depth. It looked like a serious weakness for a roster with intentions to compete in 2025. So, they talked Gibson, who’s 37 years old and was ready to hang up his cleats, into a return as an innings-eater, enticing him with $5.25 million. Kyle has history in Baltimore, having pitched their in 2023.

Not the Kyle Gibson Baltimore was hoping for

As a starter that season for the Orioles, Gibson posted a league-high 33 starts and tallied 192 innings. He also allowed a league-high 198 hits while posting a 4.73 ERA (4.13 FIP). That Orioles team was young, but the youth pushed them to a 101-61 record to win the AL East.

There is still plenty of youth on this Baltimore team, but they haven’t performed and the pitching has been dreadful. Gibson needed time to ramp up after missing spring training. After three starts in the minors he joined the major league rotation.

We're through the top of the 2nd, and Tides starter Kyle Gibson has retired six-of-seven batters faced. pic.twitter.com/gdExYTJvJz

— Norfolk Tides (@NorfolkTides) April 10, 2025

Velocity has never been a calling card for Gibson. It’s not as though it is diminished further at this point either. His whiff rate, however, is at a career-low 8.6% and his 60.7% hard hit rate is otherworldly. When opposing hitters are barreling 14.3% of your pitchers, that’s a recipe for disaster.

End of the line for former Minnesota Twins starter?

It’s possible that this is it for Gibson. He didn’t receive enough interest to sign a deal prior to spring training. He only went back to Baltimore after they came calling just before the season. If retirement was already on his mind, then it’s very possible he’s thrown his last baseball from an MLB mound..

Gibson gets a nice parting gift from Baltimore, in that his entire $5.25 million salary is guaranteed. He can ride off into the sunset while topping off the more than $73 million he made during his career.

Related: New Minnesota Twins Promotions Bring Two Debuts

The seven years Gibson spent with the Minnesota Twins to start his big league career, makes up more than half of his 13-years of total MLB service time. The 2009 No. 22 overall pick pitched in 193 games in a Twins uniform, posting a 4.85 ERA across 1,087 innings.