MLB trade deadline: Potential landing spots for Lance Lynn
By Tim Haberin
Your name doesn’t have to be Darvish or Gray to help a team’s rotation at the MLB trade deadline. If the Cardinals deal Lance Lynn, where could he go?
With only two days to go until the MLB trade deadline, teams are scrambling to complete deals before the clock strikes 4:00 pm ET on July 31. Contenders are trying to land that one piece to put them over the top, while clubs out of the race attempt to secure the best possible returns for their movable assets.
Starting pitching is always at a premium in this league, whether during the offseason or middle of the summer. This year’s crop of potential trade candidates is rather top-heavy, with a few ace-type starters rumored to be the subject of talks. Yu Darvish of the Rangers, Sonny Gray of the Athletics and even Justin Verlander of the Tigers have all generated a fair amount of buzz leading up to the deadline.
Naturally, for names like those you’ll likely need to give up substantial prospect packages. (See: Oakland reportedly asking the Yankees for Gleyber Torres or Clint Frazier in exchange for Gray.) Not every team can easily meet that kind of asking price, even if they’re squarely in the playoff picture. Fortunately, there are arms to be found on the middle tier of the market that can still alter a division or Wild Card race.
This year’s mid-level options aren’t especially appealing, but there is one hurler in particular teams seem to be turning their focus toward: St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Lance Lynn. The 30-year-old is putting together a strong campaign after missing all of last season due to Tommy John surgery. An impending free agent, he boasts a 3.21 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 2.61 K/BB ratio in 120.2 innings.
It sounds like the market for Lynn will be active, but he almost surely won’t cost as much as the likes of Darvish and Gray. Let’s take a look at teams that could be possible fits for Lynn. With his next start scheduled for tomorrow, this is a situation that could be resolved sooner rather than later.
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