Texas Rangers pitcher has officially announced his retirement from Major League Baseball, according to multiple reports. He shared the news on his wife’s podcast.
A first-round pick by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2008 out of the University of Mississippi, Lynn spent the early and final years of his career with St. Louis, pitching for the team from 2011-2017 and again in 2024. Known for his durability, he consistently logged at least 175 innings and made at least 31 starts each season from 2012 to 2017, except for 2016 when he was sidelined by Tommy John surgery.
Lynn was part of the group of free agents in the 2017-18 offseason who remained unsigned until spring training due to concerns about his performance decline and injury history. He struggled in 2018, particularly with the Minnesota Twins, where he posted a 5.10 ERA in 20 starts. However, a trade to the New York Yankees midseason saw him rebound, improving his strikeout rate and lowering his walk and home run rates while recording a 2.17 FIP in 54 innings.
The Texas Rangers, encouraged by his late-season resurgence, signed Lynn to a three-year, $30 million contract, a move that was met with skepticism. However, he exceeded expectations, delivering a stellar 7.7 bWAR season in 2019, tying Fergie Jenkins’ 1974 season for the best by a Rangers pitcher. He followed that up with a strong performance in the shortened 2020 season, finishing fifth and sixth in Cy Young voting in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
With the Rangers rebuilding after 2020, Lynn was traded to the Chicago White Sox for Dane Dunning and Avery Weems. He had a strong 2021 campaign, finishing third in Cy Young voting and earning a two-year extension. However, his performance declined after that, posting a 0.7 bWAR in 2022 and struggling with a 5.73 ERA in 2023 between the White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. He returned to the Cardinals for the 2024 season, where he made 23 starts and recorded a 0.3 bWAR before deciding to retire.