Sports

White Sox Acquire Lance Lynn From Rangers In Trade For Dane Dunning

December 8, 2020 / 2:19 PM CST / CBS Chicago

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CHICAGO (CBS/AP) -- The Chicago White Sox have added another reliable veteran arm to their rotation, acquiring righty Lance Lynn from the Texas Rangers in exchange for rookie starting pitcher Dane Dunning and minor league pitcher Avery Weems.

Lynn finished sixth in the American League Cy Young Award race in 2020, after going 6-3 with a 3.32 ERA and 89 strikeouts over 13 starts during the pandemic-shortened season with the Rangers.

New teammates Dallas Keuchel and Lucas Giolito finished fifth and seventh, respectively, in the AL Cy Young race.

Lynn led the AL in starts and innings pitched; and ranked among the leaders in complete games (T1st, 1), quality starts (T1st, 10), pitching WAR (3rd, 2.3), wins (T4th), strikeouts (5th), opponents average (5th, .206), WHIP (7th, 1.06) and ERA (10th).

"Lance is one of the most proven and dependable starting pitchers in baseball," White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said in a statement. "He provides us with another power arm and gives us three proven starters at the top of our rotation, while at the same time deepening our rotation and allowing some of our younger pitchers additional time to develop."

Lynn, 33, will be reunited in Chicago with new manager Tony La Russa. Lynn was a rookie pitcher for the 2011 World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals, who beat the Rangers in seven games in the last season La Russa managed in the big leagues before returning to the White Sox this offseason.

The 6-foot-5, 250-pound Lynn was 22-14 in 46 starts the past two seasons for the Rangers, with 335 strikeouts over 292 1/3 innings. The right-hander has an $8 million salary in 2021, the final season of a $30 million, three-year contract he signed with Texas two winters ago.

The on-the-rise White Sox are coming off their first playoff appearance since 2008, going 35-25 and finishing tied for second in the AL Central before losing to Oakland in their wild-card series. Lynn would be in the top three of a rotation that features right-hander Lucas Giolito and lefty Dallas Keuchel.

In nine big league seasons with the Cardinals, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees and Rangers, the 33-year-old Lynn is 104-71 with a 3.57 ERA in 260 games (236 starts).

Texas was an AL-worst 22-38 in the pandemic-shortened season and had three 22-year-old rookies in its starting lineup on the last day of the season.

Managing partner Ray Davis said the Rangers were still in a rebuilding mode earlier Monday during the formal introduction of new general manager Chris Young. Texas named Young last week to that role after Jon Daniels had served as both president of baseball operations and GM since 2013. Daniels, who had been GM since 2005, is still president of baseball operations.

While the Rangers didn't move Lynn at the Aug. 31 trade deadline, they did send All-Star lefty Mike Minor to Oakland. After the season, they declined an $18 million option on right-hander Corey Kluber, the two-time AL Cy Young Award winner they acquired last winter who pitched just one inning before a shoulder injury ended his season.

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