New York Yankees Showing Interest In Signing Lance Lynn
The New York Yankees are showing interest in free-agent starting pitcher Lance Lynn. Lynn could be an answer for the Yankees’ starting rotation, as the team has openly been looking to add more pitching during the 2018 MLB offseason. A new report by Jon Paul Morosi for MLB.com states that the team has been “monitoring” his situation on the market. While the Yankees appear willing to offer him a contract, the franchise doesn’t want to overpay to add more depth to the rotation.
Morosi notes that the Yankees have roughly $15 million left in the budget to spend between now (February 11) and Opening Day. That’s not a lot of money and it’s possible that Lance Lynn could command a salary at or above that threshold. It would price him out of the negotiations with the Yankees, but with the slow-moving free agency period, it’s possible that Lynn’s contract demands could come down a bit before Spring Training gets started.
As has been reported in various New York Yankees news pieces this offseason, that general manager Brian Cashman is working hard to keep the team below the $197 million luxury-tax thresholds. He has succeeded to this point, even while acquiring Giancarlo Stanton in a blockbuster trade with the Miami Marlins. While it’s only a soft cap, meaning the Yankees could go over it if the team saw a need, Cashman is doing everything possible to avoid any luxury-tax penalties this year.
We have acquired INF @DangeRussWilson from the Rangers in exchange for future considerations. Wilson is expected to be at camp in March.
????+?? pic.twitter.com/NRyksQeQtl
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) February 7, 2018
Getting back to the New York Yankees’ interest in Lance Lynn, the 30-year-old right-handed pitcher may be one of the more undervalued starting pitchers available in free agency. Lynn started 33 games for the St. Louis Cardinals last year, tying him for the most in the National League. He finished with an 11-8 record, a 3.43 ERA, and a 1.229 WHIP over 186 1/3 innings of work. In six years with the Cardinals, Lynn appeared in 183 games (161 starts), posting a 72-47 record, an impressive 3.38 ERA, and a 1.288 WHIP.
There are a lot of teams watching the situation with Lynn very closely, but no distinct offers have been confirmed. This indicates that the market either hasn’t figured out what Lynn is worth or hasn’t gotten to the point where a team is willing to pay him that amount. It keeps teams on a tight budget, like the New York Yankees, monitoring the landscape to make sure they don’t miss out on a potential bargain.
