Lance Lynn

Lynn turned in another stellar year in 2020, leading MLB with 84 innings pitched, striking out plenty of batters, and keeping his walk rate and overall numbers in check. But there are a few warning signs under the hood, including his 4.19 FIP, his 4.34 xFIP, and his career-high 79.4% LOB rate. Of bigger concern is his trade to the White Sox and hitter-friendly Guaranteed Rate Field, particularly because Lynn had a 38.3% fly-ball rate in 2019 and a 42.3% fly-ball rate last year. That led to the worst HR/9 rate of his career and second-worst HR/FB rate (13.8%) in 2020. Countering those troublesome warning signs, however, is the fact that he'll be caught by perhaps the best pitch framer in baseball in Yasmani Grandal, and that will generally help with his numbers which, again, were excellent last year. Add it all up and Lynn's ERA should likely increase simply because of the additional home runs he'll allow if he can't turn around his trend in fly-ball rate, but Grandal's presence and Lynn's general aptitude on the mound should allow for another strong season and make him worthy of a selection as an SP2.

Lance Lynn traded to White Sox

Lance Lynn has been traded to the Chicago White Sox for Dane Dunning and another prospect, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.

Fantasy Impact

This was an expected move as trade rumors had been swirling around Lynn, who is entering the final year of a three-year contract, since the offseason began. The 33-year-old has been excellent over his last two seasons with the Rangers, earning a 3.57 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and a 335:84 K/BB ratio over 46 starts (292 1/3 innings). The White Sox get a quality arm to pair with ace Lucas Giolito and the rebuilding Rangers get a former first-round in pick in Dunning along with another prospect.