Lance Lynn, Joe Kelly Traded to Dodgers from White Sox for Trayce Thompson, Prospects

The Chicago White Sox have agreed to a trade that would send pitchers Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for outfielder Trace Thompson and minor league pitchers Eddys Leonard and Justin Bruihl.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today first reported the deal.

Lynn, 36, has struggled in 2023. The 13-year MLB veteran has gone 6-9 with a 6.47 ERA and 1.46 WHIP. His 28 home runs allowed are the most in the league. He has struck out 144 batters in 119.2 innings.

However, Lynn has shined at times, notably striking out 16 batters on June 18 against the Seattle Mariners. He also threw seven shutout frames with 11 strikeouts on July 6 versus the Toronto Blue Jays.

Lynn enjoyed a great three-year stretch from 2019-2021 in which he finished top six in the American League Cy Young voting in each season. During that span, the right-hander went 33-20 with a 3.26 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 10.24 K/9 rate, per StatMuse.

Lynn’s 2022 season began on the injured list due to a meniscus tear suffered in spring training. He made his debut in June and went 8-7 with a 3.99 ERA (1.14 WHIP) and a 9.2 K/9 rate (124 strikeouts in 121 innings).

With the White Sox languishing below .500, Lynn has received trade interest. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that the Texas Rangers had “strong interest” in Lynn on July 9 but that “teams who have inquired say the White Sox continue to have a high asking price for him.” Lynn notably has an $18.5 million salary this year and an $18.5 million club option or $1 million buyout in 2024.

In the end, Lynn is headed to the Dodgers, who will hope that the right-hander can return to his 2019-2021 form for the pennant race. In addition, Los Angeles is reuniting with Kelly, who spent three years with the team and was part of the group that won the 2020 World Series.

The Dodgers have endured injuries to their starting rotation all year, whether it be Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May or Noah Syndergaard (since traded to the Cleveland Guardians). The Dodgers are also in the bottom third of starting pitcher ERA this year.

Lynn’s ERA has ballooned in 2023, but if he can find his old form, then he would be a huge addition to a Dodgers team that has World Series-winning potential if it figures out its starting pitching problems.