With pitchers and catchers beginning to report to spring training this week, the New York Yankees are still looking to bolster their starting rotation.
New York’s top three are set with Luis Severino, Sonny Gray and Masahiro Tanaka. Even the aging CC Sabathia, who was brought back on a one-year deal, provides a solid No. 4 arm. However, concerns have been growing around Jordan Montgomery, who faded in the second half of his rookie season as he had problems maintaining his velocity and allowing home runs.
MLB.com’s Jon Morosi reported that the Yankees are monitoring free-agent pitcher Lance Lynn, who spent the first seven years of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals.
While he is just two years removed from undergoing Tommy John surgery, Lynn is an innings eater who won’t have the same tiring problems that Montgomery experienced. In five of his six healthy seasons, the 30-year-old pitched 175 innings or more.
His arsenal did not look unaffected either after the surgery. While he did slightly lose a little bit on his fastball, averaging 92.6 miles per hour in 2017, his cutter and slider have continued to be his most devastating pitches.
Lynn has never had a losing season in the majors, including an 18-7 All-Star campaign in 2012.
His ERA has fluctuated over the years, dipping to as low as 2.74 in 2014, a year after posting a career-worst 3.97 mark.
The problem is, Lynn’s average annual salary could come in at around the $15 million mark, which is how much the Yankees have left to spend if they want to stay under the $197 million luxury tax threshold.
Last week, the Mets were also rumored to be interested in bringing Lynn on.
