The St. Louis Cardinals will be without Lance Lynn for the 2016 season after the pitcher underwent Tommy John surgery on his elbow. The Cards could consider dipping into the free agent market for someone like David Price after losing Lynn, while Jason Heyward is hitting free agency and could be re-signed.
The Cardinals announced the news about Lynn on Tuesday and ESPN reports that Lynn had the "surprise surgery" this week. Lynn previously missed time this season with a forearm issue and the Tommy John surgery was done to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament. Lynn went 12-11 with a 3.03 ERA last season and now the Cardinals will have to find another player to step up in the starting rotation.
The Cardinals rotation already had some question marks heading into the offseason, as John Lackey may leave as a free agent and both Carlos Martinez and Adam Wainwright dealt with injuries last season. Wainwright came back from an Achilles injury and was able to pitch late in the year, while Martinez was shut down with a shoulder strain near the end of the season.
The Cardinals have Michael Wacha coming back after a strong season, but he has had injury issues in the past and so has Jaime Garcia. David Schoenfeld at ESPN writes that the Cardinals may look at free agency as a way to help make up for Lynn being injured. Schoenfeld writes that while it's not "necessarily urgent" for the team to make a signing, he adds that it's "certainly more likely than it was 24 hours ago."
Schoenfeld writes that the team could bring Lackey back and that David Price could be an option if the team is willing to spend big. The Cardinals moves likely will depend on whether the team goes after Jason Heyward, who is hitting the market after being acquired from the Braves. Heyward could get up to $150-175 million this offseason and if the Cards keep him, they likely will not go big on a pitcher. The team has some solid options in the minors, but pitching prospect Alex Reyes was suspended 50 games taking another name out of the mix to start the season, according to ESPN.
The Cardinals have shown interest in Price in the past, as Fox Sports reported during the season that the team was "exploring" the pitching market, including Price. Price is one of the top players on the market this offseason and he comes in after going 18-5 with a 2.45 ERA for the Tigers and the Blue Jays. Price made 32 starts last season and he has made at least 30 starts in four of the last five seasons. Price had 225 strikeouts in 220 innings pitched and he could command a contract between $150-190 million this offseason.
The Chicago Tribune reports that the Cubs will be looking hard at Price, while teams like the Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers also could be landing spots. The Cardinals may not want to overreact to the Lynn injury, but with the team already dealing with some issues in the rotation, the team could be more active than usual. Lynn should be ready for the following season for the Cardinals despite the lengthy rehab and that is one positive sign moving forward for the Cardinals.