Re-grading the Texas Rangers’ 2021 off-season one year later

Re-grading the Texas Rangers’ 2021 off-season a year later

Trading Lance Lynn to the White Sox for Dane Dunning and Avery Weems

Lance Lynn came to Arlington in 2018 perceived as a pitcher on the decline. He left Texas a revived pitcher.

It was clear once the Rangers opted for a rebuild in 2021, that Lynn would no longer be super useful and that trading him while his value was still high was the way to go. That was the route Texas ultimately took, sending him to the South Side for pitchers Dane Dunning and Avery Weems.

Dunning was serviceable in 2021, but also suffered injuries and a bout with COVID, so his season was harder to evaluate. In general, though, Dunning was pretty solid and has the makings of a middle of the rotation starter, as Lance Lynn has been most of his career.

With the White Sox, Lynn seized the moment to be on a contender and became an ace on their staff, and it was genuinely exciting to see Lynn succeed and embrace Chicago. He’s better off there than he would’ve been, stuck on a Texas Rangers team that was headed for nowhere last season.

Overall, I believe both teams benefitted from this trade. The White Sox have the upper hand for now because of Lynn’s overwhelming success, but Dunning is a good young talent, and Weems is a development project.

Grade: B