5 surprise trade spots for Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor.
The baseball world will be watching the Cleveland Indians this offseason, as the franchise weighs whether it will trade its four-time All-Star shortstop, Francisco Lindor.
Much has been written regarding the grim financial situation confronting the Tribe, and it’s not surprising. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tribe had a fiscally conservative reputation.
Factor in no fans for 2020, and yeah, pennies are going to be pinched even tighter.
Not only is Lindor a prime trade suspect, but Carlos Carrasco now looks expandable because he’ll make north of $10 million next season.
If the Indians deal Cookie, it’s feasible that no one in the starting rotation will make above $1 million. In today’s MLB, that’s bizzaro-world stuff.
With Lindor looking at almost $20 million in his final year of arbitration, he’s likely to have played this final game in an Indians uniform.
And while the Dodgers and Yankees are talked about as an obvious landing spot for the switch hitter, these five lesser talked about teams could become a surprise home for the former Gold Glove winner.
1. Reds
Cincinnati is willing to make a deal on a short-term bet, evidenced by the team’s decision to acquire Trevor Bauer at the 2019 deadline.
It’s a move that paid off, as Bauer helped Cincinnati reach the postseason for the first time since 2013.
The Reds didn’t score a run in the postseason, though, and need more help at the plate. Lindor would certainly provide fireworks in the bandbox that is Great American Ball Park.
Signing Lindor long term would seem like a long shot for the Reds, but owner Bob Castellini has shown he will spend. I still can’t believe Joey Votto will have spent over a decade in a Reds uniform, but ownership ponied up and locked in their biggest star.
Considering the Reds relationship with the Indians–they share Spring Training facilities and have been trade partners recently–it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Cincinnati come out of nowhere to get the four-time All-Star.
For what it’s worth, Cincinnati did flirt with the notion of trading for Lindor before the start of the season.Plus, from an Indians perspective, they have a collection of prospects for the Indians to pursue.
2. Angels
The Angels shouldn’t really be a surprise team considering the gobs of money they have to throw at players, but right now, the bet is Lindor is more likely to end up in Dodger Blue than Anaheim Red.
But with the Angels failing to make the postseason yet again, even with an expanded playoff field, the pressure’s got to be on the front office to get the game’s greatest player, Mike Trout, back to the postseason.
The WAR Machine was anything but in his lone postseason appearance back in 2014, batting .083.
Adding Lindor puts him in a lineup that already features Trout, and Anthony Rendon, plus, while Shoei Ohtani hasn’t lived up to his reputation on the bump, he’s been a good big-league hitter.
Of course, adding Lindor won’t amount to much if the Angels can’t pitch. At least they’ll be able to score, because they’re going to have to in order to stay in games.
3. Braves
The Braves are an up and coming team that was came within a game of reaching the organization’s first World Series since 1999.
And adding Lindor would be an upgrade over their current shortstop, Dansby Swanson.
If a trade is commenced, Swanson could even be part of the deal and be the starting shortstop for the Tribe in 2021. Local media are speculating Yu Chang would be the front runner to replace Lindor at short, but adding Swanson may shift Chang over to second.
Cesar Hernandez is a free agent, and considering financial restraints, he isn’t expected to return unless the Tribe gets him at a bargain.
As for the Indians, follow the money. Lindor could earn upwards of $20 million in his final year of arbitration. Swanson is entering is first year of arbitration. He’ll make A LOT less than that.
Swanson hit .274 in the truncated 60-game season, which is 18 points higher than his career average.
4. Blue Jays
Might the men who were a big part of drafting and developing Francisco Lindor in Cleveland lure him to the Blue Jays?
I’m referencing Mark Shapiro, the Jays current president. He held the same role with the Indians when Lindor was drafted. Jays GM Ross Atkins was the director of player development when the Tribe picked Lindor in the 2011 draft.
It’s certainly something to think about, especially since the Jays are an emerging young team that would benefit greatly from adding a four-time All-Star to the middle of their infield.
Any trade would involve moving top prospect and current shortstop of the future Bo Bichette to either second or third base, so Lindor could assume short.
The transaction would give Toronto an infield of Vlad Guerrero Jr., Cavan Biggio, Bichette and Lindor. If you’re looking to contend with the likes of the Yankees and Red Sox, that would be one heck of a start.
5. Mets
Like the Angels, the Mets aren’t really a surprise team because they have plenty of financial resources to make a long-term play for Lindor.
That said, they aren’t the New York team that’s being tossed around as being in Lindor’s future, with many expecting the Yankees to one of the true contenders for the shortstop.
For what it’s worth, there’s a rumor that Lindor isn’t all that interested in either of the New York teams.
It’s worth remembering that the Mets and Indians talked about trading Lindor back in February. Amed Rosario was apparently at the center of those trade talks.
Talks fell apart after the Mets said the Indians’ asking price was too high.
But, A lot’s changed since those talks. Now Lindor has just one season left before he hits free agency, although delivering him to New York would give the Mets a year of exclusive negotiating rights.
As for Rosario, he hasn’t really proven to be anything special since these rumors surfaced. I’d expect the Indians to still be interested because he’ll be cheap. Rosario won’t hit the free agent market in 2024 and won’t be a big-time earner in arbitration, just yet.
The Indians were also rumored to have asked about Jeff McNeil, but at the time, this was reportedly a non-starter for the Mets.