The Chicago Cubs seem eager to patch things up with a former rival. The Cubs are negotiating a one-year contract with veteran St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn, according to a report published Thursday night by USA Today. Lynn, who will turn 38 in May, made 23 starts for the Cardinals last season and went 7-4 with a 3.84 ERA.
Bob Nightengale referenced the Cubs’ desire for rotation depth in his X (formerly Twitter) post. No contract had been announced at publication. If the two do agree to terms, we almost certainly won’t see Lynn against Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers in next week’s Tokyo Series.
A 2011 World Series champion with the Cardinals, Lynn is 143-99 with a 3.74 ERA and 30.9 bWAR in 13 seasons. A potential Lynn-Cubs marriage is a curious one, especially if the team intends to use him as a starter. Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, and Matthew Boyd are all guaranteed rotation spots.
Lynn has a track record of eating innings, but he also just had two seasons in which he gave up an MLB-high 44 home runs. It’s also important to note that Lynn hasn’t worked as a full-time reliever since 2011, which was almost 15 years ago, during his rookie season. Lynn is too familiar with the Cubs. In his 25 career games against the North Siders, the two-time All-Star is 7-8 with a 5.32 ERA. Although it’s the south side of the city, Lynn is also familiar with Chicago. Between 2021 and 2023, he made 70 starts for the White Sox, recording a 25–22 record and a 4.23 ERA.
