Suitor Revealed for White Sox Pitcher Lance Lynn

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Lance Lynn figures to be one of the players most likely to get traded from the south side by the trade deadline and the first serious suitor has been revealed.

According to Bob Nightengale, the Texas Rangers have shown strong interest in trading for Lynn. The right-handed pitcher signed an extension with the White Sox that includes an $18 million club option for the 2024 season that includes a $1 million buyout. Lynn, 36, has previously pitched for the Rangers in 2019-20. In 2019, Lynn finished fifth in the American League Cy Young Award voting.

Nightengale said the White Sox aren't just willing to give Lynn away for nothing. The starter is set to earn $18.5 million in 2023, but the White Sox don't just want this to be a salary dump. At least that's the impression you get when reading the report.

Via USA Today.

The Texas Rangers have shown strong interest in White Sox veteran starter Lance Lynn, who struck out a franchise-record 16 batters and 11 batters in two of his last four starts. Lynn is earning $18.5 million this year with an $18.5 million club option or $1 million buyout in 2024. 

Teams who have inquired say the White Sox continue to have a high asking price for him. 

I mean, yeah the White Sox shouldn't just trade Lynn to trade him, but having a high asking price for him has to be relative to the situation, right? The White Sox are going to have to eat a lot of the money to even get a prospect that you maybe have heard of.

That being said, Lynn is doing his best to raise his trade value during the past few weeks. This isn't to say the numbers are looking great because Lynn still has a 6.03 ERA after 18 starts. However, since striking out 16 batters against the Seattle Mariners on June 8, Lynn has posted a 3.86 ERA with 41 strikeouts in 25.2 innings.

Since that start in Seattle, Lynn ranks fourth-best among all MLB starting pitchers with an average of 12.87 strikeouts per nine innings, as he's struck out 51 batters in 35.2 innings. There are definitely signs that Lynn is finding something on the mound and his last start against the Toronto Blue Jays definitely caught the attention of potential trade partners.

On Thursday, Lynn was brilliant, allowing just one hit, while striking out 11 and walking a batter in seven shutout innings against the Blue Jays in Chicago.

The White Sox begin Sunday with a record of 38-53. The Cleveland Guardians are now in first place, barely ahead by 0.5 game over the Minnesota Twins. The White Sox are eight games behind the Guardians and are in fourth place in the American League Central Division.

Following Sunday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals, the White Sox will play 15 games leading up to the trade deadline on Aug. 1. Those games will be against the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, Twins, Chicago Cubs and a four-game series against Cleveland to end the month of July.