Dodgers Decline Ex-Cardinals Fan Favorite's Club Option With Free Agency Looming

The homegrown St. Louis star is headed to the open market

Scott Neville | Nov 4, 2023

Dodgers Decline Ex-Cardinals Fan Favorite's Club Option With Free Agency Looming /

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The St. Louis Cardinals will have plenty of former players to potentially re-engage with as free agency is set to begin Tuesday.

With player and club options being declined left and right, even more old friends have entered the mix, including one of the most beloved Cardinals in recent memory.

"The (Los Angeles) Dodgers have declined right-hander Lance Lynn’s $18 million club option for 2024," The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya reported Friday. "He will receive a $1 million buyout. A reunion is still possible between the two sides. Dodgers (are) expected to be in the pitching market this winter."

Lynn certainly did not pitch up to the standards of an $18 million salary in 2023. The 36-year-old posted a 5.73 ERA with a 191-to-67 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .259 batting average against and 1.39 WHIP in 183 2/3 innings between his time with the Chicago White Sox and Dodgers last season.

The right-hander's 44 home runs allowed were not only the most in Major League Baseball but the sixth-most-ever recorded in a single season -- tied with Seattle Mariners' Jamie Moyer in 2004.

Lynn would still qualify as an innings eater and can still record his fair share of strikeouts but is not close to a frontline pitcher at this juncture.

Not that many would clamor for it but it's safe to put Lynn far down the Cardinals' wish list as they attempt to add at least three impact starters this winter.

More MLB: Cardinals Reliever Elects Free Agency After Strong Season In St. Louis' Bullpen

Published Nov 4, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the St. Louis Cardinals for FanNation's "Inside The Cardinals" on Sports Illustrated. Before starting "Inside The Cardinals", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." After a few months as the top Major League Baseball site in the program, Neville sought expansion and pitched "Inside The Cardinals," one of the newest additions to FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group. The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Cardinals" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu