MLB trade rumors: Cardinals in ongoing talks involving Lance Lynn

As Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports, Cardinals starter Lance Lynn is “the topic of ongoing discussions with other teams about a trade.” Goold also reported that Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak recently met with Lynn to discuss the 30-year-old’s status as a potential trade target.

Lynn is a free agent after the season, and following the trade of Jaime Garcia to the Twins on Monday, he seems to be the best rental starter this side of Yu Darvish left on the trade market. He has a 3.30 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP in 20 starts this season and has averaged roughly 5.2 innings per start. With teams like the Yankees, Dodgers, Brewers and Rockies looking for starting pitching depth, Lynn could bring back a solid return.

It appears that the Cardinals’ powers that be will consider the team’s performance over the next week as they decide whether or not to trade Lynn, as they’re still within striking distance of the NL Central lead. But even if they deal Lynn, they wouldn’t necessarily be throwing in the towel. 23-year-old right-hander Luke Weaver has a 1.91 ERA and 0.94 WHIP over 13 Triple-A starts this season, and he’s unscored upon in three innings of big-league relief. He’d be a solid replacement for Lynn if the veteran was dealt at the deadline.

Meanwhile, Goold writes that the Cardinals and Lynn have had “no discussion” about an extension, furthering the likelihood that the Cardinals will allow either Weaver or Alex Reyes, who is rated as the top pitching prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline, to assume his spot in the rotation next season.