Written by Ken Rosenthal, Fabian Aldaya, and Katie Wu
of st louis cardinals and starting pitcher Lance Lynn have agreed to a one-year, $10 million contract, a major league official confirmed. ESPN first reported the news. Here’s what you need to know:
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Desperate for a starting pitcher, it didn’t take long for the Cardinals to begin strengthening their rotation. It makes sense that they started with Rin, especially considering their history.
With the acquisition of Lin, St. Louis gains a veteran presence in the rotation in a relatively low-risk financial deal. But if the Cardinals are serious about being competitive next year, they’ll need a better performance than what Lin posted last season. St. Louis appears to have an affinity for reclamation projects, and the organization has had success in the past with pitchers such as: Miles Mikolas, John Lester And JA Happ. They will be counting on the same success record for Lin. — Katie Wu, Cardinals Staff Writer
How did Lin spend her time in 2023?
Lin was the biggest story the Dodgers brought in, at least up until this year’s trade deadline, but this was a deal that looked to a version of Lin in 2023 without him. He has continued to miss bats with a fastball-centered approach, but he hasn’t been able to do that. Leave the ball in the field. The 44 home runs allowed between the White Sox and Dodgers last year were the sixth-most in a single season in major league history.This number does not include the Dodgers’ record-setting four home runs allowed in one inning. Series-clinching loss arizona diamondbacks in the National League Division Series.
It wasn’t that long ago that Lin was pitching well enough to earn him Cy Young votes. But even after accepting some of the Dodgers’ adjustments, including more curveballs, fewer cutters, and mechanical tweaks to give his fastball more life, his performance last year didn’t improve. Lin still provides a lot of volume, which any club would value, but the Dodgers’ bet that he could be an impact arm in the postseason at this stage in his career is , which didn’t work out in 2023. — Fabian Aldaya, Dodgers Staff Writer
What’s next for St. Louis?
Lin should be considered for the back end of the Cardinals’ rotation, along with Mykolas. Steven MatzThese are the only two starting pitchers under contract through 2024.
The biggest challenge for baseball operations director John Mozeliak is the need to acquire a large number of pitchers for next season. Lin is one of several moves the longtime executive needs to make this winter if the Cardinals want to achieve their self-proclaimed goal of being a competitive club next year. Mozeliak said in the GM meeting that he wants to add “at least two starting pitchers.” St. Louis still lacks top-end talent in the rotation, and now that they have some depth in Lin, that should be a priority for the club going forward. — Woo
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(Photo: Rich Story/USA Today)
