Projected Cardinals nightmare rotation without Sonny Gray in it
By Curt Bishop
3. Lance Lynn is banking on a bounceback season with Cardinals
The signing of Lance Lynn was yet another move that can be considered a head scratcher for the Cardinals. They gave him a one-year, $10 million contract for 2024.
While Lynn has a strong track record, his 2023 season was mostly a failure. Though he won 13 games, he posted a 5.73 ERA.
However, unlike Gibson, Lynn brings swing-and-miss stuff to a rotation that so desperately needed it, having fanned 191 batters during the regular season. The Cardinals lacked that in 2023.
Lynn can also be counted on for innings. He logged 183.2 innings in 2023 with the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Lynn is the last active player from the Cardinals 2011 World Series roster. But he is a solid veteran leader who can help the team's younger pitchers.
Pitching at Busch Stadium should also help him out as he tries to bounce back from 2023.
Still, he's not the frontline starter the Cardinals needed when they set out to acquire three starting pitchers this winter, and there are plenty of question marks surrounding him and the rest of the rotation, especially with Gray on the shelf at the present moment. They needed at least two frontline guys and only got one.