Dodgers Rumors: Lance Lynn's $18M Contract Option Declined by LA; RHP Gets $1M Buyout

Veteran pitcher Lance Lynn is entering free agency.

The Los Angeles Dodgers declined Lynn's $18 million club option for 2024 making him a free agent, per The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya. Lynn will receive a $1 million buyout, and a return to L.A. remains possible, Ardaya added.

The Dodgers addressed issues within their rotation during the 2023 season by acquiring Lynn from the Chicago White Sox at the trade deadline.

L.A. was hoping the righty would bounce back after putting together a rough outing to begin the season in Chicago. Prior to being traded, he posted a 6.47 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 144 strikeouts in 119.2 innings across 21 starts with the White Sox.

However, Lynn didn't perform much better in a Dodgers uniform as his struggles with the long ball continued. He posted a 4.36 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 47 strikeouts in 64 innings across 11 starts.

Lynn finished the 2023 campaign having allowed an MLB-worst 44 home runs, and his struggles giving up blasts continued in the playoffs. In Game 3 of the 2023 National League Division Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, he gave up four home runs in a 4-2 loss that eliminated L.A. from the postseason.

While it was ultimately a disappointing finish to the year, Lynn said last month that he enjoyed pitching for the Dodgers, hinting that he would be open to remaining with the franchise.

"Whenever you don't end playing the last game of the year on the winning side, it always sucks. All together, I enjoyed being a part of this team," Lynn told reporters. "I wish we could've gone deeper and done what we were capable of.

"We just didn't play well this series."

Lynn, a two-time All-Star and 2011 World Series champion, was once among the top Cy Young candidates. He finished fifth in Cy Young voting in 2019 as a member of the Texas Rangers and sixth in voting in 2020.

During his first season in Chicago in 2021, he finished third in Cy Young voting after putting together a career year with a 2.69 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 176 strikeouts in 157 innings across 28 starts.

Although Lynn's performance has dipped over the last several seasons, he'll surely be among the most popular pitchers on the market this winter.