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The St. Louis Cardinals took a wild ride through the end of the season and the playoffs before coming up short in the National League Championship Series. Right-handed pitcher Lance Lynn went on a wild ride himself, playing various roles for the Cardinals' pitching staff with varied results.
After moving to the bullpen during the season, Lynn finished the regular season with a 18-7 record and 3.78 ERA, Lynn did a little bit of everything on the mound for the Cardinals in post-season play. Not only did he fill in gaps in the starting rotation, but Lynn also worked out of the bullpen in late-game situations as well as long relief.
The results weren't as impressive, as Lynn finished the playoffs with a 1-2 record, two holds and a 5.73 ERA. As valuable as it may be to had an arm like Lynn's in a utility role, he surely wants to make his way back to the starting rotation and the Cardinals expect Lynn to compete for a spot in the starting rotation.
If Kyle Lohse leaves via free agency, Lynn is the next likely candidate to join the rotation with Adam Wainwright, Jake Westbrook, Jaime Garcia and Chris Carpenter. But Lynn will have to earn that spot in the rotation by beating out Joe Kelly, Trevor Rosenthal, and Shelby Miller for the job.