The St. Louis Cardinals began retooling their starting rotation Monday by agreeing to a one-year contract with Lance Lynn, bringing the right-hander back to the team that drafted him, according to a source with knowledge of the pact.
The St. Louis Cardinals began retooling their starting rotation Monday by agreeing to a one-year contract with Lance Lynn, bringing the right-hander back to the team that drafted him, according to a source with knowledge of the pact.
The person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal is subject to a physical, said Lynn, 36, will earn $10 million for the upcoming season. The agreement includes a 2025 club option with a $1 million buyout.
The previous time Lynn faced the Diamondbacks in the divisional round of the playoffs, he allowed four home runs in a single inning. Arizona went on to win 4-2 and complete a three-game sweep to advance to the National League Championship Series.
Earlier this month, the Dodgers declined his $18 million option.
Lynn’s performance in the NLDS was a microcosm of his poor season, which began when he was dealt from the White Sox at the deadline but struggled to find his footing in Los Angeles. He let up 44 home runs between the two teams, the sixth-most in a season in MLB history, excluding home runs surrendered in the playoffs.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60672445/959297422.jpg.0.jpg?resize=640%2C426&ssl=1)
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60672445/959297422.jpg.0.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)
Lynn concluded the season 13-11 with a 5.73 ERA, the worst in his major league career by nearly a full run.
However, the relatively low-risk transaction makes sense for the Cardinals. They are familiar with Lynn after selecting him 39th overall in the 2008 draft, guiding him to the majors three years later — he earned a World Series ring in 2011 — and watched him win 72 games in six seasons in St. Louis.
Lynn formerly played for the Twins, Yankees, and Rangers before spending the last two seasons in Chicago and Los Angeles.
The Cardinals, who finished 71-91, their lowest record since 1990, are likely to pursue starting pitchers aggressively in free agency. Last season, their rotation posted the fifth-worst ERA in the majors, with only right-hander Miles Mikolas and left-hander Steven Matz under contract for the upcoming season
“I think for us, our checklist is starter, starter, and then let’s see what we look like,” Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said at the winter meetings. “We have some position-player depth and talent.” So, just in case we don’t succeed in the other market, we’d like to investigate the trade market.”
Lynn has shown to be a sturdy arm capable of enduring some of the innings that Mozeliak will require from his revamped rotation. Lynn has tossed more than 180 innings for the White Sox and Dodgers last season, and he only needs 11 more to achieve 2,000 for his career.
The Cardinals also made some off-field changes on Monday, hiring Lynn’s former colleague and Cardinals infielder Daniel Descalso as bench coach. He will take over for Joe McEwing, who will become Mozeliak’s special assistant.=
