The Rangers began 2020 with playoff aspirations, but almost halfway through the campaign, it appears they’ll fall short of their goal. Texas will enter Tuesday’s action a dismal 11-17, 3 1/2 games out of wild-card position and well on its way to a fourth straight season without a playoff berth. Consequently, the Rangers could end up as sellers prior to the Aug. 31 trade deadline. If that’s the case, they may have one of the game’s most appealing trade chips in right-hander Lance Lynn. Although he still has another year of control left after this one, the Rangers are at least “entertaining” offers for Lynn, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic writes (subscription link).
Of course, just because the Rangers are willing to listen to teams’ proposals for Lynn doesn’t mean they’re ready to move him. However, there’s a case the Rangers should sell high on Lynn, a former Cardinal, Twin and Yankee who has been brilliant in Texas.
Since signing a three-year, $30MM contract with the Rangers before 2019, Lynn has pitched to a 3.30 ERA/3.17 FIP over 253 2/3 innings. Lynn was an American League Cy Young contender during his first season in Texas, and it appears he’ll be in the thick of the race this year. Through a major league-leading 45 1/3 innings in 2020, Lynn has recorded a 1.59 ERA/3.35 FIP with 9.93 K/9 and 2.78 BB/9.
With only a few weeks left in the regular season, teams may be loath to surrender significant value for most players available around the deadline, as the majority are pending free agents who aren’t vying for major awards. But Lynn’s a Cy Young hopeful who would be able to help a team this year and next, when he’ll be due an affordable $8MM salary, so the Rangers should be in position to land a quality haul for the 33-year-old if they do part with him in the next several days.
To the Padres for Luchesi Morejon Weathers and Preciado
No. And I am a Padre fan.
Trippin way too much
I add Rafeil Montero but Lynn is cheap and one of the best in the game.
Just not happening. But feel free to peddle your wares to another team. Padres are not interested.
Padres don’t need starters though.
They need pen help. Theyre not paying a higher price for a guy they don’t need just to shift guys to the pen.
Holland and Rosenthal even Watson, Cahill, and Gausman or even other rental starters who they can put in the pen makes more sense and wont cost as much.
padres actually do need a starter like lynn. getting a rotation arm that can go 7 easy will save the bullpen in the end. i actually really dig your proposal for lynn and hernandez too. hopefully that is all that preller would give up though
Dalton1017, you are acting like an OnlyFans girl on Twitter. You cannot come to ME and TELL me what I have to pay you for your content if I am not even interested. You have to wait for buyers to come to YOU. THEN you can demand whatever you want.
Lucchessi. Yes
Morejon. No
Weathers. Maybe
Preciado. Sure.
More realistically it’d be Rosario, Marcano, and Lucchessi.
Weathers is a no now that he is throwing 94-97.
If it’s Lynn + with a guy like Rodriguez who’s throwing well in limited innings and comes with another year of control or a more controllable piece like Jonathan Hernandez id be ok with increasinh the return and including Weathers in a deal, especially if Hernandez is coming back.
You are not taking Hernandez from us… no. Montero is okay, but not Hernandez.
BTW, Montero’s line is skewed due to one grand slam that he gave up because Woodward decided to keep him out there for 40 pitches.
The Padres really, really wanted Noah Syndergaard in 2018 and 2019. He was throwing harder than anyone, had a 95 mph slider and 4 years of control. The Mets insisted he was worth at least Fernando Tatis and Chris Paddack, if not more. The Padres said no. That turned out to be a VERY smart move. I think they will say no again.
Padres in 2018/19 were so desperate for starters too, a lot has changed since then. With 4 solid SPs now their rotation looks mostly stable, so while it would be nice to have Lynn, its not exactly a huge area of need for them.
I don’t see them forcing a trade for a SP right now when their rotation is fine and they have good pitching prospects that are MLB ready. They really need bullpen help and a catcher who can produce some offensively.
Wow man. That’s really nice of you to consider maybe giving up one decent prospect for our ace having a dominant season if we also include a major league reliever in there as well for you.
Exactly. Lynn is a luxury, not a necessity for the Padres.
The Padres don’t want him tsc32. It was a Rangers fan who suggested the trade and what he wanted from the Padres.
You are trying to sell sugar to a Type 1 diabetic here! We don’t want it, don’t need it and cannot even use it. Water is incredibly valuable…to a man lost in the desert. To a man swimming in a 100 foot swimming pool, with servants standing poolside with champagne, freely squeezed fruit juice and ice cold Dasani water…not so much!
Thank you Javia! We need to be talking about the Braves, Yankees, Rays, Blue Jays, and maybe even Astros here. Not the Padres.
Right. There are lots of teams that want him. I would be especially interested to see what the Braves or Rays would be willing to offer.
@tsc32- it’s nice to see your ace pitching well in his comfort zone. Just hang on to him and keep throwing him out there every 5th day. I don’t want him anywhere near NY, even with no real fans or real crowd noise at the games.
If its Lynn and Hernandez a package consisting of Arias, Weathers, Miller, Marcano, and Ona plus Lucchessi as a change of scenery guy back is easily enough. Itd cost a lot but you gotta give up talent to get talent.
Lynn immediately replaces Richards for 2021 at a reasonable price and Hernandez immediately steps into the pen to help while guys are on the mend from TJS.
Texas picks up a prospect haul and immediate organization upgrades at ss (Arias and Marcano), 2B (Miller), LHP (Weathers), and OF (Ona)
I’m going to tell you something Yank. I didn’t like the Lynn signing when it happened. I thought he was washed up, and we over payed. About 10 starts into last season my opinion started to change. He might give up 4 runs per game, but he pitched 8 innings. Slowly the runs decreased, command increased, and now here we are. A true ace. They showed a graphic on the broadcast yesterday, and it showed that Lynn has the highest fastball usage in baseball with 91 percent fastballs! Though they aren’t just 4-seamers. Cutters, 4-seamers, and sinkers, and he throws them all with pinpoint command. He also has a breaking pitch that he will throw in very sparingly. He can be two different guys too. In the CG in Colorado, he was sinker/breaking ball heavy, and induced a ton of soft contact in Colorado… against that lineup. The other Lynn challenges guys up in the one with 4 seamers, and sneaks in cutters on the outside corner. Lynn 1a can go 9 innings with 7 strikeouts, Lynn 1b can go 7 innings with 14 strikeouts.
You don’t have to trust me, but not wanting Lynn on your team (to me at least) is blasphemous.
According to call to the pen, Mets really really wanted Luis Urias for Noah Syndergaard.
But yes. Comparing a deal for Syndergaard involving Tatis Jr , #2 overall, and Paddack, #35 overall, to a deal involving Weathers, who most likely won’t rank wont break the top 50 even top 70, for a controllable mlb ready arm with 5+ years of control completely makes sense.
For someone who argues the padres are competing one would think you’d want them to actually do something about the pen. Preferably its a long term cheap control option….you know like Hernandez.
Man, Padres fans sure are arrogant for a team that has barely won 70 games for about a decade.
You are confusing 2019 with 2018 MAGA Man. Specifically the offseason between ’17 and ’18. At that time Tatis was ranked between #4 and #9. Paddack was outside the top 100 but just starting to show massive improvement. Kinda like Weathers is now.
Yes I do believe the Padres are competing. I believe they may make a trade or two for relief pitching help. They are not going to spend huge on a starter that they don’t really need.
@Rangers29- I know he has excellent stuff there’s no doubt about it. Maybe a 2nd time in NY would be different? I just don’t see the Yankees parting with Frazier for him. I can see Andujar, Luis Gil, or Michael King and maybe a Tyler Wade or a Luis Cessa being offered but not much more then that. I think the Braves or Rays could give more as far as prospects then the Yankees.
@ hiflew
You mean, as opposed to fans of every other team in mlb?
Tatis was never on the table. Fans may have had unrealistic valuations of Syndergaard, but the front office had no such delusions.
Agreed, I’m Yankee fan and I would take Lynn. A quality arm that can go deep into games with post season experience.
@Perksy- ouch! You might want to rethink that. We’re you a Yankees fan when he last pitched here? He was horrific in the playoffs for NY.
@ Cosmodeus
Are you saying that fans may have unrealistic expectations?
Heh… unrealistic expectations? Not Met fans. Never!
Uh – Hernandez – no thanks!!!!
@Rangers29- don’t get mad at me please. If Michael Lance Lynn has been that good for you & it definitely sounds like he has. Why not just keep him? He is making a mere $8 million dollars next season. And he’ll probably be good for Texas next year also. Thinking the Rangers are “Lynn’s comfort zone” truthfully.
Yanks might have a good point here; if Texas thinks they can contend in 2021, why not hand Lynn a mini-extension?
Ok, if you insist. We will throw Odor in and you can send a Profar back.
to the dodgers. it only makes sense. hell, throw in todd frazier too…
I dont see the Padres moving Preciado.
Braves, Phillies, Yankees, Twins, Brewers?
Brixton my man! Haven’t seen you posting much of late. Hope you are doing well my friend.
It might take the fans of those teams time to make their way into this comment section. Many of them are still arguing with each other over who will trade for Clevinger no matter how unlikely he is to be traded.
Along with Gallo if to Braves or Phillies and Andrus if Yankees.
why do the Phillies need Gallo or want to give up the extra capital to get him?
@mgomrjsurf- unless his last name is Presley the Yankees aren’t interested.
@Brixton- only way the Yankees are getting involved is if’s a 3 player trade & Lynn is going elsewhere. I can see the Braves being involved if they don’t get Cleveland Clevinger. Lynn like Sonny Gray can’t pitch in NY even without the fans being at the stadium.
Lynn has a 2.17 FIP and 10.1 K/9 as a Yankee. That is an objective FACT you can’t dispute with your false narrative
Everyone entertaining the idea that Clevinger is available need to come in this room because Lance Lynn is a MUCH more likely target.
Both need a haircut, badly. Yankee mandate or not.
The Braves need more then 1 starter…just saying
@braves25- I think Marco Gonzales and the Walker kid on the Mariners would be perfect for the Braves. And not too expensive either as far as prospects.
Am I wrong in seeing they are only 3.5 games out of the wildcard. This is the 2nd article today that incorrectly talks about playoff positioning. There are 8 teams now, not 5. Seems kind of weird to get that wrong
Do not do it.
Yankees had no clue what they had with Lynn and Gray
@GoLandCrabs- with that being said I’m so happy their now pitching elsewhere.
This is not based on any statistical analysis but Lynn really comes off to me as the type of player who a team will trade decent assets for and he has a negative impact on the new team
Why? He’s a hard worker, not stubborn to change, and has a fierce, grizzly attitude that could beat the best of em’. Why would that hurt a team?
Lynn could set the market higher for my Angels to sell high on Bundy. Not a lot of sellers so teams will probably overpay. Will be interesting to see how this weird season’s deadline will play out.
Lynn>Bundy
Didn’t say Bundy was better. There aren’t going to be many quality starters on the block. If Clevinger doesn’t get moved, Lynn is probably the best one that does.
Angels will hold onto him because he has another year left. Their owner holds onto their chip way to long always think that they will contend.
Tsizzle isn’t saying Bundy is better. He is saying Lynn might fetch a better package than we expect because the market is thin, raising the price of pitchers bellow him as well.
Sorry Dalton. Wasn’t trying to pile on you. I posted my comment about the same time Tsizzle did and so didn’t see him explain his comment.
C’mon let’s see more ridiculous trade offers of your team’s garbage for Lynn. I’ll throw in mine. The Rockies can give up Jeff Hoffman, Garrett Hampson, and a vial of Dante Bichette’s DNA so they can make their own Bo for Lynn.
EVERYBODY STAY CALM! FOLLOW PROCEDURE!
LOL! Do you REALLY want to function like the host for a bunch of fans proposing God forsaken trades for a pitcher on your favorite team? Very well, I’ll go first.
The Braves offer you the following for Lance Lynn:
*John Rockers podcast
*Dale Murphy’s first jock strap
*Alex Anthopoulos’s jar of peanut M&M’s sitting on his office desk.
*Dansby Swanson’s hair style tips
Damn..okay, the peanut M&M’s are off the table. AA just couldn’t bring himself to let them go.
Seems like a little to much. You can keep Swanson’s hair tips, because that seems more important to him than playing well lol.
(Just looked up his stat line for this season, and holy crap… he’s doing pretty good)
The Dansby slander. He got healthy and he’s hitting again. Hit very well last year until he hurt his wrist.
My wife and daughter are really impressed by his hair.
his walks are down and his K’s are up compared to previous years, so that’s disturbing, but he’s doing well when he makes contact.
JD will want a king’s ransom for Lynn….won’t happen. Smart money says he stays put.
Yankees should never have let him leave. Go right a wrong, Cashman
@walls17- what big game did Michael Lance Lynn ever pitch for the Yankees? Please remind me. Oh that’s right: none
The Rays could really use Chirinos and Lynn. What would it reasonably take to make it happen?
We want 2 top 100 guys, but despite injuries, I love Brent Honeywell.
Ok, let me rephrase. A top 120 and a top 60. Somewhere in that vicinity.
I think we could easily get a top 50 and 100
What trade do you have in mind Dalton? I though Frazier and Andujar was fairly reasonable, but I just wonder what you would want in return.
I would want good Pitchin prospect not too far from the bigs
@Rangers29- how bout a 3 team deal where Andujar goes to the Rangers, Lynn goes to the Braves, and the Yankees get 2 prospects as previously discussed? Hoping all is well.
That is way to little for Lynn. Last season the Rangers traded Peter Fairbanks to the Rays for Nick Solak, who has turned into one of our best regulars on the team. His hitting is a great tool, but his defense is sketchy. I know Andujar has power, but we’d need more for Lynn, if we were able to give up Fairbanks for Solak.
Never going to happen.
Two top 100 guys (or one top 100 + a meteoric riser) at the least. Lynn is arguably the best arm available unless Clevinger doesn’t get moved. Chirinos is excellent at handling a pitching staff. It would take a big offer.
I still dream of this lineup
CF Taveras
2B Solak
DH Andujar/Calhoun
RF Gallo
LF Clint Frazier
SS IKF
3B ToddFather
1B Guzman
C Trevino
There are two players in that lineup that make me scared defensively, and that’s Solak and Clint (who I’ve heard is bad defensively, but I don’t know). Other than that, most others and good defensively. We’ll have Huff and Jung come up soon, and we can easily find a replacement for Guzman if things don’t go well (but I’d hope Guzman figures it out).
Realistic, no. But I dream of this lineup. Could Lynn get me this? IDK.
no way we should trade for those 2. way over rated
need a better 3B
Don’t want to block Jung, so I’d plug in random short term guys there till the end of 21′ and beginning of 22′.
@Rangers29- thinking the Yankees will not deal Frazier with concerns of Giancarlo’s injury. But Andujar could definitely be had for the right price.
Rangers hold plenty of leverage due to the fact he is cheap reliable and really have no reason to trade unless blown away
@Dalton1017- it makes sense for the Rays or the Braves to trade for Lynn considering he is only making $8 million dollars next season in his last year of his contract.
Braves have the prospects to make this happen. They just made a deal last season with the Rangers, hope they can again
Mets really need to jump on this. This guy has been fire the past 2 years.
@Far Beyond Driven- Mets probably are not going to get involved until they get a new owner. Be really careful with Lynn pitching in NY also. The Yankees learned that the hard way.
He pitched worse for the Twins that same year. His 2017 was even worse than both. He’ll be fine if the Mets did land him.
I’d take the numbers he put up for the Yankees
Holy crap please no!! Do not let Brodie further decimate our farm system.
I’d rather have a terrible farm system than a terrible rotation
let’s go Phil’s!
I’d love for the Braves to get Lynn, but they don’t match up well unless Texas would take quantity over quality. Our only top-100 prospects are Pache, Waters, Anderson and Langeliers, and I don’t think the Braves would trade them for 1+ years of Lynn. We have several second-tier starting pitching prospects that could be available.
The Rangers want at least one top 100 guy. Waters and Bryse Wilson has been thrown around, how about that?
I think that’s fair, but the Braves are very protective of their prospects. I think they’re more likely to go after someone like Taijuan.
It’s not easy to predict the Braves because they are always so radio silent on trades. Most of the time, you don’t know anything until 20 minutes before or after the Braves announce a move but I think you are inferring the most likely outcome, that the Braves don’t go in on Lynn.
I think much more likely is a Cueto or equivalent type trade. Not an exciting move but they have to find someone to help carry some of these innings.
A package headlined by Waters and Muller for Lynn and Frazier would make a lot of sense I’d think. Frazier could help shore up some of these INF holes you guys currently have.
In other words, “We’ve thrown in the towel for this year. Who wants first dibs on the good stuff?” It’s sad to see this team have a lot of potential but never the right parts to make a solid season. I hope they can make a solid trade for some high potential prospects.
I believe the rangers could be 1 stop shopping for atlanta. Lynn and Minor for Wilson, Contreras, and 2 other lower level prospects
Smart move to at least see what you can get
Needs to be on a red-eye to Atlanta right now.
@slowcurve- if the Braves are not trading Tucker Davidson or Kyle Muller & William Contreras I doubt he is going to Atlanta. Thinking the Devil Rays will jump in last 2nd and trade for Mr. Lynn & Mr. Minor.
I’d send Davidson and Contreras in a heartbeat. William looked great early but with D’Arnaud, Flowers, Jackson, Langeliers we have depth and options. I was thinking Wright and Waters.
Padlo and Joe Ryan for Lynn. Thoughts on this, is it too much or not enough?
That would be a good starting point. If i was JD, I’d probably test the waters on adding Minor, Chirinos, or Joely Rodriguez to the deal to sweeten the pot. Honeywell, Baz and McClanahan would interest me a lot depending on who TB wanted thrown in.
The white Sox’s are a good fit for Lynn and it is a dire need with giolito and Dallas k as their only aces with a team with a lot of promise and power
As they should be and they better sell him. Highest value he’ll have for the remainder of his career… mark my words