There were some rumors early in the spring that Lynn may sign with a pitching-needy team, but that no longer appears to be a likely outcome. If this is indeed it for Lynn, the two-time All-Star will retire with a 143-99 record with a 3.74 career ERA and 9.00 K/9 in 2006 1/3 innings over his 13 year career.

It remains to be seen if the deal gets finalized, but it appears to be close. Lynn isn’t a bad choice to fill out an MLB rotation since he registered a 3.84 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and a 109/44 K/BB ratio over 117 1/3 innings in 23 starts with the Cardinals in 2024. He will certainly not be ready for Opening Day if the Cubs sign him two weeks before the season starts, but he could push Colin Rea or Jordan Wicks for the fifth spot in the rotation by the end of April.

The 37-year-old has pitched nearly exclusively as a starter in his 13-year big league career, but he could be an interesting option in short spurts out of the bullpen. Rosenthal notes that Lynn is “intrigued” by the idea, but it’s unclear which teams may have been inquiring about the role. Lynn registered a 3.84 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and a 109/44 K/BB ratio over 117 1/3 innings in 23 starts with the Cardinals in 2024. If he did find a job at the back end of the bullpen, it would make him relevant from a fantasy perspective once again.

Lynn has overhauled his training regimen, dropping from 280 to 260, in an effort to overcome persistent knee issues that bothered him last year. The 37-year-old veteran had his $11 million team option for the 2025 season declined last month by the Cardinals after being limited to just 23 starts last year, finishing with a pedestrian 3.84 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 109/44 K/BB ratio across 117 1/3 innings. Lynn should be able to latch on somewhere as an innings-eating, back-end rotation stabilizer, but his days as a relevant fantasy contributor are probably in the rearview for good.