Jeff Passan dropped an absolute bomb of a tweet when he announced late Monday night that the Chicago White Sox traded SP Dane Dunning for SP Lance Lynn.
This trade might hurt for some White Sox fans, but it was a move that needed to be made. Dane Dunning was beloved by White Sox fans, but this is a win-now move. Lance Lynn becomes the 3rd established starter in the White Sox rotation as the big 3 consists of Lucas Giolito, Dallas Keuchel, and now Lance Lynn.
With Dunning’s likely ceiling as a back-of-the-rotation starter, the White Sox needed someone who could guarantee them quality postseason innings in 2021. Lynn certainly fits this mold. Over the past two seasons, Lynn has had a record of 22-14 with an ERA of 3.57, finishing in 6th place in 2020 and 5th place in 2019 for the Cy Young Award. Lynn has been one of the more consistent starters in the league and a workhorse for the Rangers while pitching almost 300 innings. It’s already obvious, but Lynn will provide a much-needed upgrade in the starting rotation.
Dunning made 7 starts for the White Sox in 2020 and definitely showed promise. He went 2-0 with a 3.97 ERA. Dunning will be a good asset for Texas and is a great piece to start with in a much-needed rebuild for the Texas Rangers. For the White Sox, the fans enter the hard part of the rebuild: watching the players they spent years watching develop get traded away. Dunning was certainly the first one of note, and there’s no guarantee he will be the last.
Long story short, the White Sox are better now than they were earlier today. The Hot Stove continues to sizzle!
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