Cleveland Indians rumors: Discounted trade value for Francisco Lindor?

One writer has the Cleveland Indians trading Francisco Lindor at a discounted rate.

Owners and players didn’t come to an agreement, but baseball’s going to try and comeback anyways, which means the Cleveland Indians will begin their quest to end their 71-year world championship drought.

The coronavirus pandemic will ultimately dictate whether the entire campaign gets played, but for the time being, fans can get back to things like looking at the roster, predicting trades and guessing just how this wacky 60-game season is going to play out.

As far as transactions go, the Tribe faithful will watch the status of Francisco Lindor, who is now 222 games away from free agency.

ESPN’s David Schoenfield laid out the current state of baseball’s economy when it comes to trading starts whose contracts are almost up, and his analysis leaves Tribe fans wondering what the Dolan ownership will ultimately decided to do with their most marketable player.

"“Some of the economic uncertainty probably makes it less likely these players will be traded — teams will be reluctant to take on even more money. On the other hand, especially in Lindor’s case, maybe the Indians’ owners will be even more desperate to save money and trade him for 75 cents on the dollar.”"

It’s one thing to trade Lindor. Nobody’s forgotten Paul Dolan’s “Enjoy him” comments, and the organization was already going to take a beating for dealing a once-in-a-generation talent.

But to give him away? I’m not sure how the fanbase is supposed to take the organization seriously.

It was thought Lindor still had high trade value because if the Indians did trade him this season, they could sell their trade partner on having Lindor for a run through two postseason appearances.  That’s still the case, but whether the Tribe decides to move him may depend on their record.

The Dodgers were long rumored to be a landing spot, especially since LA had the prospects to get it done. Alas, Mookie Betts now wears Dodger Blue, meaning another trade for a superstar seems unlikely.

My stance hasn’t changed regarding Lindor’s status with the Tribe. I’d like to see one of these seasons finally end in a win, and having a player such as Lindor certainly helps that dream become a reality.

It’s not just Lindor, though. The Indians should have a competitive team. The starting rotation may be good enough to keep the organization competitive even after Lindor’s finally moved on.

So, go for it. It’s going to be crazy in 2020, so crazy, that perhaps the Tribe wins the World Series.