Rosenthal: What I’m hearing before MLB trade deadline on White Sox’s Lance Lynn,

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White Sox right-hander Lance Lynn, on the surface, does not appear to be an attractive trade candidate. He leads the majors with 28 home runs allowed. His 6.18 ERA is tied for the league’s second-highest. And his contract gives him the right to block deals to 10 teams, potentially complicating discussions.

Yet, while some of Lynn’s numbers are frightening, others are intriguing. Lynn boasts the 15th-highest strikeout rate in the majors, even though his average four-seam fastball velocity since 2019 is down 2.4 mph. The home runs obviously are a problem, but as MLB.com’s Mike Petriello points out, his homer-to-flyball rate is almost certain to normalize.

The White Sox’s defense, the league’s second-worst according to Defensive Runs Saved and tied for the third-worst according to Outs Above Average, isn’t helping their pitchers any. Lynn’s inflated ERA is also partly the result of him remaining in games on certain occasions to save the White Sox’s bullpen. He altered his pitch mix before his 16-strikeout game against the Mariners on June 18, throwing fewer four-seam fastballs and more curves. His strikeout-to-walk ratio has since improved from 2.8 before that date to 4.4 since.

As for Lynn’s no-trade list, like any no-trade list, it is not absolute. According to sources briefed on the pitcher’s thinking, he would waive his protection for certain contenders. The teams he can block are the Mariners, Padres and Giants; Dodgers, Angels and Cardinals; Blue Jays, Mets, Yankees and Rays.

Players often use no-trade protection as leverage, and Lynn in theory could require a team on the list to exercise his $18.5 million club option for next season. Few clubs, if any, would do that for a struggling 36-year-old pitcher. The more likely scenario, if the White Sox reached agreement with a team Lynn would rather not play for next season, is that he would ask the team to decline the option, ensuring he becomes a free agent.

In any case, it’s doubtful Lynn would drive too hard a bargain. At this point, a number of White Sox veterans are just looking for a get-out-of-jail-free card. And Lynn, who has pitched only once in the postseason since 2015, his last year with the Cardinals, surely wants to return to the October stage.

Lynn will be owed slightly more than $6 million at the deadline, and the White Sox might need to include significant cash in the deal to secure a solid return. Escaping the White Sox’s losing culture might help him. Moving to a more pitcher-friendly park might help him. Some pitching-savvy team likely will want to get its hands on Lynn, thinking he is not finished yet.

• Like a number of clubs, the Padres are preparing for both buy and sell…