Predicting where these 4 remaining Cardinals free agents will sign

Lance Lynn: Tigers

Finding a fit for Lance Lynn was tricky, but the Detroit Tigers feel like a team that could target his services.

Lynn has made it clear he wants to continue to pitch, and luckily for him, there is always a need for pitching help. After a really bad 2024 season, Lynn posted a 7-4 record with a 3.84 ERA in 23 starts with St. Louis last year. Not going deep into games was a problem for the veteran right-hander, but he still provides value out of a rotation.

The Detroit Tigers entered the offseason as a dark horse for many to spend big in free agency after a surprise postseason run this year. Instead, they've remained mostly quiet and could use some veteran depth for their rotation to make another run at October in 2025.

Tarik Skubal is the reigning American League Cy Young winner, but outside of Alex Cobb, the rotation is pretty inexperienced. Jackson Jobe, one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, is slated to join their rotation this year along with Reese Olson, Casey Mize, and Alex Cobb.

While Lynn doesn't raise that rotation's ceiling, he would help them cover starts throughout the season and provide that "veteran leadership" Cardinals fans have become very familiar with. It's also easy to imagine the Tigers targeting Lynn given the fact that he won't garner a long-term deal or high salary.

If the Tigers are not in play for Lynn, other contenders looking to fill out their rotation, like maybe the Padres, could come calling. I wouldn't be surprised if Lynn did not sign until after Spring Training began.