Washington Nationals Mock Signings: Rounding out the final roster

Lance Lynn, SP

In terms of the rotation moves so far, we’ve signed left-hander Dallas Keuchel and also dealt Tanner Roark to the Texas Rangers. That leaves one open spot in the Washington Nationals starting rotation for Lance Lynn.

Lynn was one of the main victims of last season’s strange offseason where several high profile free agents were without teams as Spring Training began. He ended up having a sub-par stint with the Minnesota Twins, before becoming a reliable option for the New York Yankees down the stretch.

The right-hander was thought to be one of the more sought-after names in last year’s free agent class. He had a 72-47 record while posting a 3.38 ERA in his seven-year stint in St. Louis with the Cardinals, but couldn’t replicate it last year, posting a 4.77 ERA between his two teams.

His FIP of just 3.84 suggests he could be due for a rebound if he can find a team early and get a full spring’s worth of work in. He would be worth the risk, given that he was practically Mr. Consistency with the Cardinals and would be exactly what you would ask for out of a fourth starter.

You don’t need them to dominate every outing, you just want them to keep your teams in games. That’s exactly what Lynn provides, so after we dealt Roark, he was near the top of our shortlist.

We were able to agree a very fair $13 million deal over the next two years, as he hopes to reestablish himself as a reliable starter. In reality, the second season would probably be an option year for either the team or player, but per the simulation rules, we could only offer straight contracts.