Cardinals, Lance Lynn avoid arbitration on three-year deal

The St. Louis Cardinals and right-handed starter Lance Lynn have agreed to a three-year deal, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. 

The deal is worth $22 million, reports Heyman, and will not buy out any of his free agent seasons with options, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Goold also reports that Lynn's deal with the Cardinals includes incentives, based on games started, that could bring it up to a total guarantee of $23.5 million. 

The three-year pact will buyout all three of Lynn's arbitration seasons, as he was going to be receiving his first arbitration payday this offseason. Now, he will earn a consistent $7.3 million AAV (Annual Average Value), without worrying about his salary being based on his performance. 

Lynn was projected to earn $5.5 million in arbitration, according to MLB Trade Rumors which would be a record for first-time arbitration-eligible players. It would be expected that Lynn would have fallen short of the $5.5 million mark, but he could still expect to make around $4.5 million. 

The 27-year-old Lynn pitched 203.2 innings last season, registering a 2.74 ERA and a 3.35 FIP. Over his 33 starts with St. Louis, Lynn posted a 1.262 WHIP, with a 8.0 K/9 ratio, 3.2 BB/9 ratio, and a 2.51 strikeout-per-walk ratio. Lynn was worth 3.7 rWAR last season, a career-high. 

Lynn has a career 3.46 ERA and a 3.34 FIP over four seasons in the big leagues, all with the Cardinals. He has thrown 616 innings, is a World Series champion, and looks to be an anchor in the Cardinals rotation for many seasons to come. As of right now, he will hit free agency following the 2017 season, when he is just 30-years-old. It appears to be a good contract for both sides. 

--Devan Fink

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