Kyle Gibson DFA'd By Orioles amid Struggles After Signing $5.2M Contract in MLB FA

The Kyle Gibson era in Baltimore didn't last long.

The Orioles announced Sunday that they've designated the starting pitcher for assignment, just four starts into his Baltimore tenure after signing a one-year, $5.2 million deal with the team in the offseason.

Those four starts were a disaster. Gibson was 0-3 with a 16.78 ERA, 2.92 WHIP and 10 strikeouts in 12.1 innings. He was absolutely shelled by the Washington Nationals in his final start for the Orioles on Saturday, giving up six hits and six runs in 0.2 innings. He didn't last more than four innings in any of his starts this season.

The 37-year-old has never been an elite option, but he's generally been a solid innings eater at the back end of a team's rotation. In 30 starts for the St. Louis Cardinals last season, for instance, he finished 8-8 with a 4.24 ERA, 1.35 ERA and 151 strikeouts in 169.2 innings.

His struggles have mirrored Baltimore's own woes this year, however. The Orioles came into the season with high hopes after reaching the postseason two years in a row but have started just 15-29 and already find themselves 10.5 games behind the AL East-leading New York Yankees (26-19).

That led to the shocking firing of manager Brandon Hyde on Saturday, as the Orioles looked to shake things up before the season was lost. Still, it was questionable if it was Hyde's managing—and not the front office's failure to adequately upgrade the pitching staff this offseason—that had played the primary role in the team's early struggles.

Baltimore's starting pitching is a huge weakness and question mark going forward. But Gibson had been so bad, keeping him in the rotation simply wasn't an option despite the team's current lack of quality depth.