HOUSTON -- Now that the Trade Deadline has passed, much of the conversation surrounding veteran right-hander Lance Lynn has shifted to how he can fortify the Rangers’ pitching staff, beyond the obvious expectations of taking the mound every fifth day.
There’s value to having a veteran presence in a starting rotation, even in years when there’s little chance of reaching the postseason. Older players can serve dual roles as mentors and example-setters, and most are willing to accept the responsibility as time moves on.
The 33-year-old Lynn has grown into those jobs during his time with Texas. Though most of his influence still comes from the steadiness he provides with his pitching, he’s been around the big leagues long enough to know teachable moments come in all forms. And sometimes, the best lessons learned are when the results are a little lacking, as they were on Thursday in the Rangers’ 8-4 loss to the Astros at Minute Maid Park.
“You get slapped in the mouth in the first, you're not going to give up,” Lynn said. “That's the truth of it.”
Lynn’s comment came in response to an inquiry about what he hoped rookie right-hander Kyle Cody, who is scheduled to make his first Major League start on Friday in Seattle, would learn from this outing in Houston. Lynn gave up six runs total, including four in the first inning.
The first three batters reached on base hits coming on three consecutive pitches. The No. 6 hitter, Aledmys Díaz, capped the inning with a three-run homer.
The teachable moment? Lynn ended up staying in for five more innings, and he threw 111 pitches, tying his season high.
“Whenever you're having a bad one, you’ve still got to give everything you got so the next guy doesn't have to wear it for you,” Lynn said. “That's what I was taught a long time ago. Even if you have a bad one, make sure you stay out there long enough so people in the bullpen don't have to throw more innings than you did.”
“He gave our ballclub a chance to win the game,” manager Chris Woodward said. “A lot of our younger guys need to see that and understand that you have to be really tough mentally to be able to withstand some of the adversity. It's easy to let it get to you. Obviously, Lance doesn't.”
It’s difficult to know how close the Rangers were to dealing Lynn before Monday’s Trade Deadline. While he was one of the most intriguing pitchers presumed by other teams to be available, there were no overtures that the Rangers were going to swing a deal.
It wasn’t because Texas had idealistic views on being a postseason contender, but rather because there was no urgency to trade him. Lynn is signed through next year, which gave the Rangers the right to set a steep price on the return. Also, Lynn will earn $8 million in the final year of his contract in 2021 -- a very affordable commitment to a pitcher who routinely logs at least 175 innings in a season, provides valuable leadership in the clubhouse and has one of the lowest ERAs in baseball, even after his mediocre start vs. the Astros.
The Rangers weren’t expected to win the American League West, but they were hoping to improve on their third-place finish in 2019. Next year, the focus will partly be on young pitchers they’re grooming through their system, and having an influence like Lynn on staff could be beneficial to their development, especially when things aren’t going well.
“To have discussions with all of our younger guys, to pull them aside and say, ‘Listen, this is a process. You have to learn. You just don't go from point A to point Z,’” Woodward said. “It takes time to figure these things out. His examples of that throughout his career are invaluable.”
Even how Lynn handled the stress of the Trade Deadline could provide useful insight to the youngsters. While the rest of the baseball world was frenetically refreshing their Twitter feeds for updates from media insiders, Lynn spent the final hours leading up to Monday’s Deadline on the golf course. He was mostly in fine spirits, though the number of times his phone buzzed was super annoying.
“It really ruined my golf round,” Lynn said.
But it did nothing to alter his enthusiasm to be a Ranger.
“I'm excited to be here,” Lynn said. “Like I said all along, this is where they gave me an opportunity to play the game at the highest level, and I'm going to do everything I can, every five days, and in between. Whatever I can do to help the team win, that's what it's all about.”