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Louis Cardinals Starting Pitcher Lance Lynn Out For 2016 Season
Posted On Nov 11 2015
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The St. Louis Cardinals will be without their No. 2 starting pitcher Lance Lynn as he underwent Tommy John surgery and will be sidelined for the year.
The free agent market is full of starting pitchers this year so it’s not completely irrational to believe the Cardinals will decide to pick someone up to help strengthen their rotation with Lynn’s absence. And Alex Reyes, whom MLB.com had ranked as the Cardinals’ No. 1 prospect and would have been a rotation consideration a few months into 2016, was suspended Monday for the first 50 games for testing positive for marijuana use. Staff ace Adam Wainwright was lost for most of the year due to a torn Achilles tendon suffered in May, and 2015 All-Star Carlos Martinez was shut down in September due to shoulder inflammation.
Lynn, 28, owns a career 3.37 ERA in five seasons with the Cardinals, compiling a 61-39 record.
The Cardinals have Michael Wacha coming back after a strong season, but he has had injury issues in the past and so has Jaime Garcia. Whereas before the Cardinals could have pursued a starting pitcher as a luxury item but certainly didn’t have to, now they nearly certainly need one this winter. The Cardinals moves likely will depend on whether the team goes after Jason Heyward, who is hitting the market after being acquired from the Braves. His salary is $7.5 million for 2016.
The Cardinals have shown interest in Price in the past, as Fox Sports reported during the season that the team was “exploring” the pitching market, including Price. The Cardinals made a qualifying offer to veteran pitcher John Lackey last week worth $15.88 million.
The Chicago Tribune reports that the Cubs will be looking hard at Price, while teams like the Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers also could be landing spots. His 60 wins since the start of the 2012 season are sixth most in the majors, trailing only Max Scherzer (69), Clayton Kershaw (67), Zack Greinke (66), Madison Bumgarner (65) and David Price (63). But had they had both Wainwright and Lynn in the rotation in 2016, they would have a huge advantage.
