Cardinals expected to decline option for $11 million starting pitcher

The St. Louis Cardinals are likely going to have a much lower payroll in 2025 after missing the playoffs this year.

The team finished 83-79 and have declared that they will begin a rebuild of sorts. How aggressively they'll rebuild is unknown.

But they do anticipate payroll decreasing for next season.

In order to do that, they can start by declining options for two aging starting pitchers. Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report predicts that they will not pick up Lance Lynn's option for 2025.

"The Cardinals are looking to trim payroll in 2025, so it stands to reason they will take the $1 million buyout on his option, rather than paying him $11 million to return," Kelly wrote.

Lynn's option is for $11 million. He went 7-4 with a 3.84 ERA in 2024 with St. Louis, though he did make two trips to the injured list.

The Cardinals signed the veteran right-hander hoping to cover innings for the 2024 season, but he was unable to go deep into ballgames for St. Louis much of the time.

He was the last remaining holdover from the team's 2011 World Series championship team.

But the Cardinals are going to try and get younger next season as part of their rebuild, so it would make sense to ultimately let Lynn walk.

We'll see what kind of deal Lynn will get in free agency and what the Cardinals will do to replace him if they let him go.

More MLB: Cardinals $75 million investment receives high marks after solid 2024