Former St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox Pitcher Lance Lynn Announces Retirement

Lance Lynn made two All-Star appearances and earned Cy Young votes in three of his 13 MLB seasons before deciding to hang up his cleats on Tuesday.

St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Lance Lynn (31) reacts after inning ending double play against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fifth inning at Busch Stadium. | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Pitcher Lance Lynn has retired from MLB, the veteran right-hander revealed on Tuesday's episode of his wife's podcast, "Dymin in the Rough."

"Baseball season is upon us and I'm right here on the couch and that is where I'm gonna stay," Lynn said. "I am officially retiring from baseball right here, right now."

Lynn spent 13 seasons in the big leagues, getting his start with the St. Louis Cardinals and winning a World Series as a rookie in 2011. He returned to St. Louis in 2024, coming full circle after bouncing around between the Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers.

The 37-year-old righty finishes his career with a 143-99 record, 3.74 ERA, 1.276 WHIP, 2,015 strikeouts and a 30.0 WAR. Lynn had an ERA over 4.00 just twice – in 2018 and 2023 – while making All-Star appearances in 2012 and 2021.

Lynn placed fifth in AL Cy Young voting with the Rangers in 2019, then followed that up with a sixth-place finish in 2020. Upon joining the White Sox in 2021, Lynn was an AL Cy Young finalist, placing third in the race for the prestigious award.

In 23 starts with the Cardinals last season, Lynn went 7-4 with a 3.84 ERA, 1.338 WHIP, 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings and a 0.3 WAR. He hit free agency in the fall and insinuated in his announcement that he didn't get any offers he considered fair once he hit the open market.

Ending his career where it started also played into Lynn's decision to call it quits, with his final MLB appearance being a quality start in a win at Busch Stadium.

Lynn made it clear he won't be back on a big league mound, but he did leave the door open for his career to develop down a new path.

"There might something a little fun around the corner upcoming weekend, so stayed tuned," Lynn said. "But from Major League Baseball, I am done pitching."

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