Ex-Cardinals Fan Favorite Poised To Betray St. Louis For One-Year Deal With Nemesis

The former St. Louis hurler is about to join an enemy

Jun 24, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Lance Lynn (31) looks on as he walks off the field after the second inning against the Atlanta Braves at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

A former St. Louis Cardinals fan favorite is about to do the unthinkable by signing with the 11-time World Series champions' most hated rival.

After deciding to enter an organizational reset last fall, Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak elected to part ways with several former beloved hurlers to make room in the pitching staff for younger talent.

Unfortunately, one of the veteran pitchers the Cardinals neglected to re-sign for 2025 could soon join St. Louis' top National League Central rival.

"The Chicago Cubs, looking for starting rotation depth, have now entered negotiations with veteran Lance Lynn on a one-year, Major League Baseball contract," USA Today's Bob Nightengale first reported Thursday afternoon.

There have been several reports leading up to Nightengale's recent update that the Cubs were targeting Lynn and former Cardinals All-Star Kyle Gibson for a rotation boost.

Both 37-year-old right-handed pitchers had their $12 million 2025 club options declined last fall despite serving the back end of the Cardinals bullpen well last season.

Lynn posted a 7-4 record with a 3.84 ERA, 109-to-44 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .247 batting average against and a 1.34 WHIP in 117 1/3 innings pitched for the Cardinals in 2024.

The 2011 World Series champion logged his 2,000th career strikeout and 2,000th inning pitched for St. Louis last year, which Lynn stated he was happy to accomplish in a Cardinals uniform.

After being selected by St. Louis in the 2008 draft and spending seven fruitful seasons pitching for the Cardinals, Lynn is about to commit the ultimate form of betrayal by signing with the nemesis Cubs.

Although Lynn will likely always be respected among Cardinals fans for the memorable years they shared together, signing with the hated Cubs will undoubtedly stain his legacy in St. Louis.

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