2 reasons to let go of Lance Lynn and 1 reason to keep him
With trade talks getting increasingly serious, it's time to consider if Lance Lynn is worth trading or keeping.
By no means is Lance Lynn having the best season of his professional baseball career but it would be a lie if he wasn't considered as one of the biggest starting pitcher names on the trade market this year.
Lance Lynn has a 6.06 ERA with 133 strikeouts in 108.1 innings pitched. While it was a sluggish first couple of months for the veteran, he has settled in quite nicely for the White Sox.
He is a veteran presence that can eat up a lot of innings and contending teams will find value in that.
Here are two reasons Lance Lynn should be let go and one reason why the White Sox should keep him (The Trade Deadline is August 1st):
Reason to Trade: The White Sox don't want his 2024 option
The Chicago White Sox don't need to risk having Lance Lynn in 2024.
Overall, Lynn has been a good addition to the White Sox organization. The only issue is the 18-million-dollar club option the contract has for the 2024 season.
The White Sox are most likely unwilling to pay that much for Lynn next season, meaning the right decision would be to trade him for guys the club can use in the near future.
Again, Lynn has been successful for the majority of his White Sox career but someone who has one of the worst ERAs in all of baseball should not be receiving that much money, no matter what the past suggests.
Considering the White Sox are one of the cheapest clubs in major league baseball, the smart move would be to move on from Lynn, exchange him for prospects, and be more financially stable.
Reason to Trade: Contending team will pay for him
The Chicago White Sox might be able to get a good return for Lance Lynn.
There are plenty of contending teams that have been reported as showing interest in Lynn. Considering the fact that every contending has a need for starting pitching, they may overpay the White Sox if it gets to that point.
Lynn isn't the only starting pitcher on the market but he is definitely one of the most valuable. Organizations sometimes get desperate as the deadline gets closer and closer, meaning the White Sox could be at an advantage when trying to find a suitable trade option for Lynn.
If the White Sox get a haul as they are expecting for him, then the right move would be to move on from Lance Lynn and focus primarily on restructuring the club.
A lack of starting pitching could potentially be an issue but the White Sox can find a cheaper and maybe even better option via free agency in the off-season.
Reason to Keep: The White Sox could still make the playoffs
The Chicago White Sox are not mathematically out of it yet.
The White Sox are 40-55 but playing in the AL Central, who knows at this point who is going to come out on top?
If the White Sox elects to try and make a playoff spot, Lynn should stay in Chicago for the remainder of the 2023 season.
The club has lacked consistent pitching all season and with the way Lynn has been performing as of late, trading him while trying to clinch a division wouldn't make a whole lot of sense.
The White Sox are having a horrid season but one week of good baseball could put them right back in the race. It's still a long shot but it's not impossible.
The organization needs to decide on one or the other. Are they buyers or sellers? The dominoes all need to fall or the team must try to win a division race.
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