Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Fan Favorite Details How Retirement Decision Came Together

The former St. Louis Cardinals hurler opened up...
Patrick McAvoy|
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The offseason so far has been full of trade rumors for the St. Louis Cardinals.

That topic has dominated headlines left and right as the club has dealt away veterans, with the latest being Nolan Arenado. On Thursday, there was a different story worth following if you're a Cardinals fan. Former fan-favorite Lance Lynn joined MLB Network and told the story of what led to his retirement before the 2025 season.

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"Yup, that's how it went down," Lynn said when asked about announcing his retirement last year on his wife, Dymin Lynn's podcast. "The night before she was like, 'What do you think?' I was like, 'I'm done.' She was like, 'Alright, we'll do it tomorrow.' And we did it...We went on spring break and we got back and she was like, 'What's the plan, are we going to sign?' I go, 'No, I'm done.' I enjoyed spring break too much. When it was all said and done, it was a crazy time. She wasn't expecting it. It wasn't something I had brought up, but once I started thinking about everything.

The former Cardinals starter opened up

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Lance Lynn
Sep 17, 2024; 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. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

"Thinking about what happened the year I signed late with Minnesota. How the season ended before with St. Louis. Being back in St. Louis where I started. Kind of having everyone there for my last start. Hitting some milestones and all that. It just kind of sat on me one night. It's like, 'Hey man, I don't want to deal with who knows what's going to happen. I want to finish the way I want to finish and I liked the way I finished last year, so let's call it a career.'"

Lynn, who began his career in St. Louis, was able to bookend it with his final season being with the organization in 2024. He was good. He had a 3.84 ERA in 23 starts and gave the team a chance to win each appearance. He wrapped up his career with a 3.74 career ERA in 13 seasons with two All-Star nods and a World Series ring. You can't ask for much more.

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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