Lance Lynn has pitched for five teams over the past five seasons, but the two-time All-Star plans to stay in Chicago for a couple of years.
Lynn, a trade-deadline acquisition by the Yankees in 2018, has inked a two-year contract extension worth $38 million with the White Sox, the leaders of the AL Central.
The 34-year-old Lynn, who was acquired from the Rangers in December, will earn $18.5 million in both 2022 and 2023, with the team controlling an $18 million option for 2024 with a $1 million buyout. He previously pitched for White Sox manager Tony La Russa with the Cardinals.
“It’s nice not to worry about free agency and know where you are going to be, but also knowing this is where you want to be and this is the group you want to be with to try to achieve something,” said Lynn, who is 9-3 with a 1.99 ERA in 16 starts this season. “Day in and day out, you see how they go about it, you see what they’ve built. You see how they built from the ground up, whether it’s international, whether it’s the Draft, whether it’s free agency or trades.
“They put together a winner here. And that’s what I want to be a part of and help push over the top and get a championship.”
According to MLB.com, Lynn ranks in the top five in the American League in 11 pitching categories since the start of the 2019 season, including wins (31) and innings pitched (383) with a 3.30 ERA over that span. His 1.99 ERA also is the lowest by a White Sox starter in the first half of a season since Wilbur Wood (1.69) in 1971.
“He wasn’t forced to take that deal with the kind of year he’s having,” La Russa said. “I don’t know what the money is, but he certainly would be a pitcher that would be interesting to a lot of clubs. Evidently, he likes what he sees here and wants to be a part of it going forward.”
Lynn has provided veteran leadership to a White Sox rotation that also features Carlos Rodon, Lucas Giolito, Dylan Cease and former Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel. They entered Sunday with an eight-game lead over Cleveland in the Central.
“Since the day I got here in spring training, everything’s felt like the perfect fit, even the guys in the clubhouse, the clubhouse staff and everybody,” Lynn said. “When I walked in [Saturday], everybody was really excited to have me around for the next couple of years. So that’s always a good feeling.”