St. Louis Cardinals: What Losing Lance Lynn Means

Continuing the never ending trend of 2015, the St. Louis Cardinals have gotten bit by the injury bug once again. This time it’s effecting the 2016 season, as Lance Lynn will be unable to play after undergoing Tommy John Surgery yesterday. While this doesn’t favor the Cardinals in any way, it’s definitely something the Cardinals can overcome.

First looking at the production Lance Lynn has given the Cardinals, it’s tremendous. This season was Lynn’s fourth straight season pitching 175 innings or more, he pitched over 200 in 2013 and 2014. Since his debut in 2011, Lynn has appeared in 150 games, starting in 128 of those. He possesses a very impressive 61-39 record with a 3.37 ERA in his career.

While inconsistent at times, Lynn always seemed to show up at the right times. So what does losing him mean? It’s time for the Cardinals to look for a pitcher. That means the market is about to be very, very interesting. With Lynn gone, Lackey not a guarantee, and many other pitchers bogged with past injuries, it’s time to look at the promising free agent market.

First you could look at some of the lower tier yet promising pitchers in guys like Johnny Cueto and Jordan Zimmerman. Zimmerman has pitched at least 195 innings every season since 2011 and possesses a 3.32 career ERA. Zimmerman posted a 13-10 record with a 3.66 ERA this season. Cueto is also an option but I will not elaborate on him as I still don’t know if I can totally forgive him for his past, you know what I’m talking about Cardinal Nation.

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Now we get to the big guys, I’m sure you know who I’m talking about by now. David Price and Zack Greinke. While Greinke would obviously provide a lot, here I’ll discuss the possibility of David Price which seems like the most popular option.

If you want to talk about impressive in terms of innings pitched, Price is the guy. Price has pitched 200 innings or more in five of his seven seasons. He boasts a 104-56 career record with a 3.09 ERA. He’s hopped around teams lately after spending his whole career in Tampa Bay, he was traded to the Tigers last season. This season he was traded to the Blue Jays.

I basically see two options here. While getting a name like David Price would be great, I would think it would mean potentially having to give up Jason Heyward which I would not like to do. If they want to keep Heyward I think they’d have to stick to a second-tier pitcher like Cueto or Zimmerman.

Whatever happens I know that it should be an interesting offseason. You never like seeing guys go down with injuries, but this offseason just got a whole lot more fun.

Next: Why David Price Might Actually Happen

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