Inside The Cardinals

Ex-Cardinals Fan Favorite Officially Announces Retirement, Ending 13-Year Career

The former St. Louis veteran is hanging 'em up
Nate Hagerty|
Jun 13, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Lance Lynn (31) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fifth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Jun 13, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Lance Lynn (31) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fifth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

A former St. Louis Cardinals fan favorite has finally decided to walk away from the game he loves after spending 13 memorable seasons pitching in the big leagues.

On Tuesday, a former Cardinals right-handed pitcher announced his retirement from baseball after failing to land his next major league contract this offseason.

"Lance Lynn announced his retirement on his wife’s podcast," New York Post's Jon Heyman first reported Tuesday morning. "Good luck Lance!"

Shortly before announcing his retirement on Tuesday, Lynn discussed how the Los Angeles Dodgers' outlandish spending habits have complicated the free-agent market and impacted his ability to land a new contract after the Cardinals declined to pick up his 2025 club option.

Despite holding his own in the back of the Cardinals' rotation last season, the franchise's direction didn't include retaining an aging veteran starting pitcher -- St. Louis is looking to get younger and rebuild, so re-signing Lynn for 2025 didn't make sense.

After logging a 143-99 record with a 3.74 ERA, 2015-to-704 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .243 batting average against and a 1.28 WHIP in 2,006 1/3 innings pitched throughout his 13-year career, during which he played for the Cardinals, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox and Dodgers, Lynn is officially a retired man.

There were rumors that Lynn would transition to a role in the back of some club's bullpen this offseason but after multiple deals fell through, it appears the 2011 World Series champion is done searching.

The two-time All-Star will forever be remembered in St. Louis for his ferocity and relentless pitching approach. The Cardinals have one of the most passionate fan bases and Lynn encompassed what it meant to be a student and lover of the game.

As a former homegrown Cardinals hurler, it's fitting that Lynn spent his final season in St. Louis, where he was proud to log his impressive 2,000th career strikeout in 2024.

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Nate Hagerty
NATE HAGERTY

Nate Hagerty joined “Inside The Cardinals” as a content creator to spread knowledge about his favorite childhood team. A hometown native of Boston, Hagerty chose at an early age of six years old to follow the St. Louis Cardinals. The miraculous season of 04’ for the Red Sox did not deter Hagerty from rooting against his hometown team, nor did it in 2013 against the Red Birds. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu 

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