Scott Long
11/4/20
Since Steve Cohen purchased the New York Mets, all sorts of rumors have been floating around. One of these that seems to be gaining a lot of traction is acquiring shortstop Francisco Lindor in a trade with the Cleveland Indians. Lindor has spent his entire career with the Cleveland Indians, but is entering a contract year, and the Indians may not be able to afford paying him the money he wants in an extension.
Lindor is up for arbitration this year, and if he doesn’t agree to an extension before next offseason he will become a free agent. Cleveland is not known as a team who hands out large contracts, and with other stars such as Jose Ramirez, Shane Bieber, and Carlos Carrasco, many around the league believe Lindor is destined to start the next season on a new team.
This is where Cohen and the Mets fit in. Mets fans became excited when Cohen purchased the team, because Cohen’s net worth is nearly three times greater than that of the next closest owner in baseball, leading fans to believe the team will finally spend like a big market team. He has free agency to look at as well, but many believe this is why Lindor is a fit in Flushing. The Mets have enough assets to acquire Lindor, and with Cohen have the money to extend him, which would make the deal worth their while.
However, the Mets are by no means a perfect fit, as shortstop is far from the team’s biggest need. The team has Amed Rosario, the former number 1 prospect in baseball on the big league roster, as well as Andres Gimenez, who was the team’s top ranked prospect before getting called up last season, and current number one prospect Ronny Mauricio. Rosario has shown flashes of stardom throughout his career, but consistency has been an issue, and the team has even considered moving him to a new position due to the emergence of Gimenez. Gimenez is only just scratching the surface, having just made his big league debut this season, displaying solid offensive potential and an elite glove, which is something the Mets lack in much of their starting lineup. His play this season is the primary reason that the team is considering a positional change for Rosario. And then you have Mauricio, the team’s top prospect who makes the picture even murkier.
Despite the unnatural fit, there is still plenty of reason this trade could work for both sides. Obviously, the money issue is important, but the bigger question would be how this could work in an exchange. Due to the logjam at the shortstop position it is likely that two of the three would be heading back to Cleveland in the deal, with Mauricio being the definite. In addition to Mauricio, the Mets could include one of Rosario and Gimenez, utility man J.D. Davis, outfielder Brandon Nimmo, pitching prospect Matt Allen or corner infield prospect Brett Baty. Davis and Nimmo would give the Indians major league ready players who still are young and under team control, who can help the Indians compete now and in the future, while Allen and Baty would provide the team with high upside prospects. Due to Lindor being on an expiring contract, the Mets would likely be hesitant to trade Baty or Allen making the most likely offer being a 3-player package of Mauricio, Rosario or Gimenez, and Davis or Nimmo.
A Lindor to the Mets trade is far from a sure thing or a perfect fit, but with Steve Cohen in charge in New York, the team’s pockets have likely expanded, opening up many possibilities that previously weren’t open for the team. Whether the team opts to make this move or something different, the Mets hope their offseason additions can bring them back to playing baseball in October this year, while Jacob deGrom is still at the top of his game. Furthermore, while the Indians would like to keep Lindor, if they do end up trading him this offseason, it would serve them well, building up for the future and retooling, rather than losing him for nothing in the offseason.