Pair Of Ex-Cardinals Hurlers Shipped To Contender In Huge Trade Deadline Move

A couple of old friends will team up once again

Scott Neville | Jul 28, 2023

Pair Of Ex-Cardinals Hurlers Shipped To Contender In Huge Trade Deadline Move /

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St. Louis Cardinals

A former St. Louis Cardinals duo will be vaulted into contention after a notable trade ahead of the upcoming deadline.

"Los Angeles Dodgers receive: right-handed starter Lance Lynn and right-handed reliever Joe Kelly," ESPN's Jeff Passan tweeted Friday. "Chicago White Sox receive: right-handed starter Nick Nastrini (in Double-A), right-handed reliever Jordan Leasure (Double-A) and outfielder Trayce Thompson, who was originally drafted by Chicago."

This will be the third time this duo will don the same uniform as they vy for more World Series rings.

Lynn, who starred for the Cardinals from 2011-2017, has struggled mightily this season but Los Angeles needs an innings eater. The 36-year-old has a 6.47 ERA, 144-to-45 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .270 batting average against and 1.46 WHIP in 119 2/3 innings this season. He leads the league with 130 hits allowed, 86 earned runs and 28 home runs. He also interestingly placed the Cardinals on his no-trade list.

Kelly, who also started his career in St. Louis but only played parts of three seasons there, has been better but his numbers as of late really hurt his season totals. The flamethrower has a 4.97 ERA, 41-to-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .228 batting average against and 1.31 WHIP in 29 innings.

Unlike the former, Kelly has strong underlying numbers and a 3.25 FIP, which would imply he has a chance to turn things around while attempting to lift up the Dodgers.

More MLB: Cardinals-Dodgers Reported Nolan Arenado Trade Talks Confirmed By National Insider

Published Jul 28, 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