Even when you think you’ve left the past behind you, a chance for a return might just sneak up on you.
Just ask Lance Lynn.
“Obviously, this was the place that gave me a chance to be a big leaguer,†Lynn said on Monday at Busch Stadium during the final day of Cardinals Winter Warm-up. “Gave me a chance to be a professional baseball player, so it holds a place in my heart. But when you leave, you kind of think about what’s next. You don’t think about going back to the place you’ve been, but baseball is a weird game. It’s got a weird sense of humor.â€
The 36-year-old righty signed a one-year deal with ºüÀêÊÓƵ in November following time with the Twins, Yankees, Rangers, White Sox and Dodgers after spending his first six big league seasons with the Cardinals.
Lynn brings a veteran presence to a Cardinals team searching for a bounce-back season while eyeing a bounce-back year of his own.
“When you when you play long enough, you’re automatically a veteran,†Lynn said. “But learning how to lead in different ways and finding different ways to connect to everybody on the team was something you have to learn. I was able to, like I said, go to different places, meet new people, learn some new things and figure out how to incorporate (that) into who I am and what I bring to a clubhouse and a baseball team.
“I’m looking forward to bringing that back here.â€
In the time away from ºüÀêÊÓƵ, Lynn posted a 4.12 ERA in 911â…“ innings across the five different organizations. He had a 109 ERA+ in that span and posted 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. Lynn’s 2021 season with the White Sox included his second All-Star appearance and first since 2012 when he represented the Cardinals. That year, the righty went 11-6 with a 2.69 ERA and 176 strikeouts in 157 innings. He finished third in American League Cy Young voting that season.
But in 2023 — a season in which Lynn was traded from the White Sox to a National League West-winning Dodgers club that sought starting pitching — the right-hander posted a 5.73 ERA with 191 strikeouts in 183⅔ innings. The 44 home runs allowed in 32 starts between the two clubs were the most across MLB.
“When you get slapped in the face, you figure it out pretty quick what doesn’t work,†he said.
Lynn said the development of some of his pitch mix a year ago didn’t “naturally†click with the way he’s attacked hitters in the past. He’s focused this winter on “kind of getting back to what makes me who I am†and tailoring the pitch developments from a year ago to his style.
“I’m looking forward to correcting the wrongs that I had last year on the mound. We were able to identify some of those pretty quick,†Lynn said.
Start to Edman’s spring may be limited
Tommy Edman may not be a full-go once full-squad workouts begin in mid-February depending on where he is in his hitting progression after undergoing surgery on his right wrist earlier this offseason.
Edman said he’s “very confident†he’ll be ready for the start of the regular season and is hopeful to be fully cleared once exhibition games begin.
He’s been limited to dry swings, he said Monday. The intensity of his hitting will gradually increase once he progresses through the multistep program.
The surgery Edman underwent addressed nagging issues in his right wrist that date back to the offseason before the 2022 season and lingered into this past year. Edman said he felt a “sharp pain†in the wrist in July when the Cardinals played in Miami. He missed about a month on the injured list for wrist inflammation before coming off the IL and finishing the season.
Edman said he has been cleared fully to lift weights while also beginning a throwing program and working on his infield and outfield skills.
Cardinals make 11 international signings
The Cardinals opened the 2024 international signing period by announcing deals with 11 players: five pitchers, three outfielders, two shortstops and one first baseman.
Among those signed is 16-year-old right-hander Branneli Franco. The 6-foot-3, 209-pound native of the Dominican Republic has a fastball that has been “trending up, going from the mid-80s to low-90s while touching 94 mph,†according to a scouting report from Baseball America. Yairo Padilla, a 16-year-old, switch-hitting shortstop from the Dominican Republic, is seen as a potential breakout prospect, per Baseball America. He has a plus arm and a “good mix of skills,†per his scouting report.
Other signees include outfielders Brayan Amoroso (Venezuela), Edward Guribe (Dominican Republic) and Yaxson Lucena (Venezuela); right-handed pitchers Gabriel Chinchilla (Venezuela), Jesus Garcia (Venezuela), Ryan Rodriguez (Mexico) and Earle Zulueta (Cuba); shortstop Cristofer Lebron (Dominican Republic) and first baseman Christian Saez (Cuba).
New (and former) Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn speaks with the media on Monday, January 15, 2024, at Winter Warm-up. Video by Benjamin Hochman
Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn watches from the dugout after pitching his fifth and final inning during a game against the Cubs on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017, at Busch Stadium. Lynn is looking for a bounce-back campaign in 2024 after signing a deal to return to the Cardinals this offseason.