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Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn will miss 2016 season

By Bill Pivetz

Oct 4, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Lance Lynn (31) throws a pitch against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 4, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Lance Lynn (31) throws a pitch against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Lance Lynn underwent Tommy John surgery on Tuesday and will miss the 2016 season.

The 2015 baseball season finished just nine days ago, and we already have our first injury for the 2016 season. The St. Louis Cardinals will be without their No. 2 starting pitcher Lance Lynn as he underwent Tommy John surgery and will be sidelined for the year.

Lynn has been one of the more consistent pitchers for the Cardinals. Based on a 162-game average, Lynn has a 15-10 record, 3.37 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 8.7 K/9.

With previous injuries to the other starting pitchers, Lynn was the one to step up and become an innings eater. In the 2013 and 2014 seasons, he racked up 405.1 innings in 66 starts.

There is good news for the Cardinals, though. The team should have a healthy Adam Wainwright as the ace of the rotation when the 2016 season begins. He will be joined by Carlos Martinez, Michael Wacha and Jaime Garcia. The team was unlikely to re-sign John Lackey, but with this recent news could change their minds.

If not, there are a lot of pitching options in free agency for the Cardinals to choose from. The two top pitchers are David Price and Zack Greinke. Some cheaper options include Doug Fister and Yovani Gallardo.

The Cardinals are going to need to break tradition and spend some money on a starting pitcher if they are going to compete with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs.

Lynn will be 30 years old when he returns to the mound in 2017.

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