After spending over a decade in Major League Baseball as a starter, one veteran pitcher may be about to try something new.
Free agent right-hander Lance Lynn revealed in an interview with Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic on Thursday that he is drawing interest from teams as a potential closer. Lynn said his agent, Kevin Lustig, recently told him that several clubs have reached out to gauge his interest in pitching the ninth inning.
“[Lustig] said, ‘I got a couple of weird calls today,'” Lynn was quoted as saying. “I was like, ‘What? Did someone ask me for a minor-league deal?’ He started dying laughing. He was like, ‘No, they asked what you thought about being a back-end guy, a closer.’
“I went, ‘Oooooh. Is the second act, the final act of my career, closing games?’ It sounds fun,” added Lynn. “I was kind of joking with my wife about it. She was like, ‘Cool, I don’t have to be at the start of games. I can just come halfway through and watch you at the end.’”
Now 37 years old, Lynn went 7-4 with a 3.84 ERA in 23 starts for the St. Louis Cardinals last season but posted a 5.73 ERA between the Chicago White Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023. A two-time career All-Star selection, Lynn, who is 6-foot-5 and 280 pounds, has generally been known as a power pitcher throughout his career. Thus, he could foreseeably make sense as a closer.
Lynn pitched a handful of games out of the bullpen at the start of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals, notably serving as a reliever during his rookie season in 2011 when the Cardinals won the World Series. If Lynn would like to continue his MLB career, it looks like he might have to return to that role (which would be a win for fans if it means seeing more of Lynn’s great antics on the mound).
