The trade of Lance Lynn from the Rangers to the White Sox could cause a domino effect in the market for starting pitchers. Several teams were aggressively pursuing starting pitching, and with Lynn off the market, they will have to consider other options like Trevor Bauer, Jake Odorizzi, Masahiro Tanaka, Taijuan Walker, and potential trade targets Sonny Gray and Blake Snell. The demand for starting pitching remains high, as many teams need rotation help heading into 2021.

1. Lynn trade 'could cause a domino effect'
Execs weigh in on market for starting pitching
By Mark Feinsand @feinsand
December 8, 2020
The early action on the free-agent market was centered around starting pitching, with Charlie
Morton, Mike Minor, Drew Smyly and Robbie Ray all landing new deals.
Another starter relocated for 2021 on Monday, as Lance Lynn was traded from the Rangers
to the White Sox, who sent Dane Dunning and another pitching prospect to Texas for the
All-Star right-hander.
Dec 9, 2020 · 1:42
White Sox trade for Lance Lynn
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2. The impact for the White Sox is obvious, as Chicago added Lynn to a rotation topped by
Lucas Giolito and Dallas Keuchel. But what type of impact could the move have on the
market for high-end starting pitchers?
“I suppose it could cause a domino effect,” one American League executive said. “It puts the
spotlight more on the top free agents.”
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Trevor Bauer still tops that list for obvious reasons; the reigning National League Cy Young
winner is far and away the best pitcher available, though his price tag will seemingly limit his
market to teams willing to spend big this winter.
After Bauer, Jake Odorizzi, Masahiro Tanaka and Taijuan Walker are the best of the rest, a
trio of pitchers capable of filling a Nos. 2 or 3 rotation spot for a contending team. Marcus
Stroman and Kevin Gausman would have been part of this group, but they took themselves
out of that market early, accepting qualifying offers from their current clubs.
Tomoyuki Sugano, a two-time winner of the Sawamura Award as Japan’s best pitcher, was
posted this week by the Yomiuri Giants, adding a very intriguing arm to the market. Kohei
Arihara, another prominent Japanese pitcher, was also recently posted by the Hokkaido
Nippon-Ham Fighters.
Other available starters include José Quintana, James Paxton, Garrett Richards, Corey
Kluber, J.A. Happ and Jon Lester.

3. Then there’s the trade market, which potentially includes Cincinnati’s Sonny Gray and Tampa
Bay’s Blake Snell. Both All-Star pitchers have multiple years left on their respective contracts;
Gray is owed $20 million over the next two years (with a $12 million club option for 2023),
while Snell has $39 million left on his deal, which runs through ’23.
The Rangers were able to land a solid, big league ready arm (Dunning, who slots in as Texas’
No. 3 prospect according to MLB Pipeline) in exchange for one year of Lynn. Given the
contractual situations of Gray and Snell, their current teams should be able to do better if
they decide to move them.
At least five other teams had talked to Texas about Lynn before he was traded Monday.
“Those teams now have to consider other options,” said an industry source.
The teams making the most aggressive push to add starting pitching are the Mets, Blue Jays,
Red Sox, Padres, Angels, Giants and Rays, per sources, and while Lynn, Morton, Smyly, Minor
and Ray had been options before, that’s no longer the case.
“I think the same group of teams that were going to be in play for a trade or signing of a
starting pitcher will still be the same,” an NL executive said. “The chairs may have just
shuffled a bit.”
With so many teams in need of rotation help, the available starters should have myriad
options to consider in the days and weeks ahead.

4. “There’s so much uncertainty in this year’s market,” another NL executive said. “But starting
pitching seems to be the one area that won’t be hurt by anything that’s going on. Everybody
needs pitching.”
Mark Feinsand, an executive reporter, originally joined MLB.com as a reporter in 2001.
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