Ex-Cardinals All-Star, Champion Reportedly Could Be Traded; Reunion May Make Sense
The St. Louis Cardinals are going to be busy around the trade deadline whether they end up being buyers or sellers.
St. Louis has been long rumored to be buyers ahead of the 2023 MLB Trade Deadline with the expectation being that the club would look to bolster its starting rotation. The Cardinals' surprising struggles may change things and force the club into actually being sellers if the club can't turn things around quickly and pull itself out of the National League Central gutter.
There's still plenty of time left this season for the Cardinals to work their way back up the standings so if they can gain some ground, they very well may still look to add a hurler ahead of the deadline. One that may make some sense, although he has struggled so far this season is former Cardinals and current Chicago White Sox pitcher Lance Lynn. The two-time All-Star reportedly may be on the move as the White Sox potentially move toward a fire sale according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.
"The White Sox, seven games out in the AL Central, still look like a likely seller, but one hot streak in a mediocre division could thrust them into contention," Rosenthal said. "As it stands, their starters are not all that attractive. Lance Lynn has been awful, Lucas Giolito is barely above average and Dylan Cease, with two additional years of club control, probably will be unavailable."
Rumors have swirled practically all season that the White Sox would be sellers at the deadline after a surprisingly rough start to the season. Chicago still is struggling and is in fourth place in the American League Central with a 27-35 record. The starting pitching trade market is sure to be extremely competitive so acquiring someone like former Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber, Eduardo Rodriguez, or even Giolito may be very difficult, so a move for Lynn may be easier.
The longtime Cardinal has had a rough start to the season pitching to a 6.55 ERA across 12 starts, but there's reason to believe that he will bounce back. Lynn still is in the 66th percentile in the opponent's whiff percentage, 62nd percentile in strikeout percentage, 64th percentile in average exit velocity percentile, and 89th percentile in fastball spin rate. Lynn compiled a 3.99 ERA in 2022 and was even better in 2021 with a 2.69 ERA while earning his second All-Star nod.
Maybe a change of scenery is what's needed for Lynn to get back on track. Lynn won a World Series with the Cardinals in 2011 and spent the first six seasons of his career with St. Louis. He undoubtedly has struggled so far this season, but there still are just about two months until the trade deadline. If he can start to get back on track over the summer, a reunion may make sense.
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