The Chicago White Sox made a major addition to their rotation on Tuesday, acquiring right-hand pitcher Lance Lynn from Texas Rangers.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the White Sox sent pitcher Dane Dunning and lefty prospect Avery Weems to Rangers in exchange for Lynn.
White Sox have been on the market for another starting pitcher for some time, wanting to bolster their rotation and provide support to standouts Lucas Giolito and Dallas Keuchel. While Chicago first attempted to strike a deal with Cincinnati Reds for Sonny Gray, they shifted their focus to Lynn in recent days.
Lynn, who was an All-Star back in 2012, is coming off a productive 2020 MLB season in which he led the league in pitched innings. He was also in the Cy Young conversation for a while, finishing the year with a 6-3 record to go with 3.32 ERA and 89 strikeouts.
Despite his stellar performances, Rangers still opted to make Lance Lynn available in trades as they are heading towards a rebuild. They were looking to get some talented young players in return while also getting off his $9.33 million salary in 2021.
Texas certainly accomplished their goals in the trade with White Sox, as Dunning and Weems both have a significant upside.
Dunning, a first-round pick in 2016, made seven starts in 2020 and pitched well. The 25-year-old had a 2-0 record with 3.97 ERA and 35 strikeouts.
Weems, on the other hand, had a 2.09 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 14 starts in minors last year.
