Cleveland Indians: Stroman pushes Mets to trade for Francisco Lindor

One Mets player wasn’t shy about recruiting Cleveland Indians SS Francisco Lindor

New York Mets pitcher was pretty obvious in his “recruiting” of Cleveland Indians four-time All-Star Francisco Lindor.

The veteran took to social media after Lindor purchased some his apparel to let it be known that he’d like to see the short stop in a Mets uniform come 2021, via the New York Post.

"“Stroman quote-tweeted a tweet to him about Lindor possibly being his teammate and wrote: ‘I’m praying on this.’ When another Twitter user told him this was masterful recruiting, he responded: “I’m on it.”"

Of course, Lindor can’t choose his destination for another season, but the Mets are considered a favorite simply because they have the type of money it would take to extend Lindor. Trading for him would give the team a year of exclusive negotiating rights.

The two teams were rumored to be talking in the past, but those talks came and went without a trade. While Lindor is certain to play somewhere else next season, it should be pointed out that another rumor suggested that playing in the Big Apple wasn’t Lindor’s desired preference.

1. Elsewhere around the organization, it’s worth pointing out that 40-man rosters were finalized recently and 24 unranked prospects were added across the big leagues.

MLB.com writer Jim Callis took a look at the 10 most intriguing players, and two members of the Tribe’s organization made the cut: Eli Morgan and Ernie Clement.

Morgan, is an eighth-round pick out of Gonzaga back in 2017. Callis described him as having a below average fastball and curveball, but noted his ability to locate his pitches where he wants. He  could be in the mold of someone such as Aaron Civale in that he’s someone who won’t blow you away, but his knack for sticking around the plate could make him more than viable at the big-league level.

The other player is Clement, in which Callis wrote:

"“Part of Virginia’s 2015 College World Series championship club, Clement was a fourth-round pick in 2017 and is the best contact hitter in the Minors. He led NCAA Division I with a 2.5 percent whiff rate in 2017, then ranked second in the Minors in 2018 (7.4 percent) and third in 2019 (7.6 percent). He also has plus speed and the versatility to play all over the diamond.”"

Depending on whether the Indians trade Lindor, there could be two opening in the middle of the diamond assuming the Tribe makes no effort to re-sign Gold Glover Cesar Hernandez.

Clement certainly has the versatility, but I’d also like to see Yu Chang get an extended look. The Indians are going to need some power if they lose Lindor, and Chang is the bigger threat.