Chicago White Sox Add Lance Lynn To An Already Promising Rotation

Lance Lynn probably didn’t think he’d ever pitch for Tony La Russa again. But the guy who was busy in the bullpen when La Russa’s Cardinals won the 2011 World Series is likely to be the No. 2 starter on La Russa’s Chicago White Sox team next season.

According to multiple reports late Monday night, the South Siders have acquired the 33-year-old Lynn in a trade with the Texas Rangers. He’s due $8 million in the last year of a three-year, $30-million contract with Texas.

While the deal hasn’t been announced, it is expected to send young starter Dane Dunning and at least one other yet to be identified player to the Rangers. 

Lynn could slot into the White Sox rotation between ace Lucas Giolito and veteran lefty Dallas Keuchel, whose signing last year signaled the Sox believed they were ready to contend. They ranked fourth in the American League with a 3.85 ERA in the abbreviated 2020 season but could have one of the best rotations in the majors with Lynn aboard.

The Sox also expect to regain the services of nasty right-hander Michael Kopech, who opted out of last season because of concerns related to the pandemic, and are likely to see improvement from Dylan Cease, another young power arm. They non-tendered the often-injured Carlos Rodon along with right fielder Nomar Mazara, who were due to earn more than $10 million if they had been kept on the roster.

Lynn made his debut for the Cardinals in June, 2011, and would go on to make 10 appearances in the postseason his rookie season, including five in the dramatic World Series comeback to beat Texas. He won 18 games as a regular in the rotation in ’12 and since has been slowed only by Tommy John surgery, which caused him to miss the season in ’16.

Lynn attacks hitters with a straight-forward combination of fastballs and cutters (some call his second pitch a slider). His velocity has never been higher than it has been the last two seasons, with an average fastball of 94.8 mph in 2019 and 94.6 in ’20. He led the AL in innings pitched (84) last season after finishing fourth with 208 1/3 innings the year before. 

His career record is 104-71 with a 3.57 ERA. He’s 43-32 with a 3.82 ERA for the Cardinals, Twins, Yankees and Rangers since undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Statcast puts the spin rate on Lynn’s fastball (2492) in the 91st percentile. He throws almost 70 percent fastballs, with almost two-thirds of them being four-seamers. He was tougher on left-handed batters than right-handed batters last season but that generally hasn’t been the case.

Lynn has worked 30 career innings at Guaranteed Rate Field without ever allowing a home run. He was not as much of a ground-ball pitcher with Texas as he was earlier in his career, however.

Given how effective Lynn has been for the Rangers, this won’t be a popular trade in Texas. But Dunning is a former first-round pick of the Nationals who pitched well in seven big-league starts last season (2-0, 3.97). This is the kind of move the Rangers need to make given the distance between them and AL West leaders Oakland and Houston. 

The White Sox figure to remain aggressive this off-season. They are also searching for a left-handed hitter to play in a corner outfield spot, with free agents Michael Brantley, Joc Pederson and Kyle Schwarber among those under consideration, and need to acquire a veteran catcher to replace James McCann as the backup to Yasmani Grandal.

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