The Francisco Lindor trade is done, with the Indians dealing him to the Mets.
The Francisco Lindor trade speculation can finally rest. The Cleveland Indians traded their beloved four-time All-Star to the New York Mets, along with Carlos Carassco, for a package of prospects that includes Andres Gimenez, Amed Rosario, Josh Wolf and Isaiah Greene.
The deal is centered around Gimenez, a 22-year-old shortstop Andres Gimenez. However, the deal also bolsters the Tribe’s farm system. The cash strapped organization is constantly concerned about being competitive not just in the present, but in the future as well, and this trade hits that point home.
The prospects acquired include 19-year-old outfielder Isaiah Greene, a second-round selection from last summer’s draft. He wasn’t able to play in the minors after being selected as a result of the pandemic, but he wowed in fall instructs, batting .464 while facing pro pitching for the first time.
Josh Wolf, 20, is also someone to watch for the future. He throws a fastball that ranges from the low 90s and tops out at 96. His best pitch is probably his breaking ball. Baseball America said Wolf calls it his curveball, but that it’s actually more of a slider. It has an “abrupt break” and sits at 78-81 miles per hour.
The Tribe also landed 25-year-old infielder Amed Rosario. More on him to follow.
It’s a sad day in Cleveland, as Lindor made baseball fun again for a lot of the fans who grew up watching the likes of Carlos Baerga, Omar Vizquel and Jim Thome. He took the Indians to the World Series in his first pro year and has since become one of the faces of baseball.
Here’s five things that come next for the Tribe now that Lindor and Carrasco have been shipped to the Mets.
1. Meet your new SS
The Cleveland Indians reportedly received Andres Gimenez in the Francisco Lindor trade, which means the Tribe has their shortstop of the future right now.
Gimenez made the Mets roster out of Summer camp and eventually earned the role of starting shortstop in September.
I wrote about him March, noting that the Tribe needed to come away with him in any deal.
Gimenez, 22, got his first taste of the big leagues in 2020, playing in 49 games. He hit .263 (.732 OPS) and posted a 1.0 WAR. Baseball America described him having a “discerning batting eye,’ noting that he could develop into a plus hit at the major league level, while perhaps becoming a power hitter.
Defensively, Gimenez is considered to have a plus glove at both shorstop and second base, and he also has the versatility to play third.
2. One of these three will be your second baseman
With shortstop secured for 2021, the Indians can turn their attention to second base, meaning either Yu Chang, Amed Rosario, or Tyler Freeman should get the chance to take over for Cesar Hernandez, who won a Gold Glove at the position in 2020.
Rosario was one of the players in the Lindor package. The shortstop was once the eighth highest rated prospects in baseball. He made his debut in 2017, but has been unable to hit. And it was Gimenez who had become the everyday starter at short by the end of 2020 as Rosario hit .252/.272/.371 while failing to steal a base.
Look for Chang gets the first crack. The native of South Korea showed some serious power in summer camp, but didn’t get much of an opportunity to play everyday once the season started.
Chang, 25, was one of the prospects included in the failed trade for Jonathan Lucroy back in 2016. He’s stayed with the club and has worked his way up the prospect ladder.
Freeman, a 2017 second-round pick, has been playing short in the minors, but it’s been talked about since the day that he was drafted how his big-league position might be at second.
He’s currently the Tribe’s No. 2 ranked prospect on MLB Pipeline.com, and he could very well appear in an Indians uniform in 2021.
That said, he’s never played above the high A level, so it won’t be a surprise to see him start the season in the minors. The 2020 season wasn’t a total waste for Freeman, as he was invited to the Indians alternate training site at Lake County.
3. The lowest payroll in baseball
The Indians now own the lowest projected payroll baseball, at around $40 million. The Pirates are second, at $47 million.
Looking back, here’s a list of the players the Indians have parted ways with; via trade: Lindor, Carrasco, Mike Clevinger, Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, Edwin Encarnacion and Yan Gomes. Via free agency, Hernandez, Brad Hand, Carlos Santana (was was also traded at one point), Jason Kpnis and Michel Brantley.
Despite the fiscal purge, the Indians are still expected to keep things interesting in 2021 behind a pitching staff that boasts the reigning Cy Young Award winner, Shane Bieber, in addition to rotation mates Zach Plesac, Triston McKenzie and Aaron Civale.
Unfortunately, the Indians haven’t done much terms of their lineup and are worse off without LIndor–even though he didn’t put together his best season in 2020.
It’s going to be hard to score runs with Jose Ramirez and Franmil Reyes as the only consistent offensive threats.
4. Fifth spot in rotation
Carlos Carassaco’s courage, determination and ability made him a fan favorite in Cleveland, and he’ll always be an Indians in the eyes of many.
Carrasco was the lone remaining remnant of the trade that sent Cliff Lee to the Phillies in 2009. He battled injuries early on in his Tribe career, but he become a rotation fixture going 88-73 with a 3.77 ERA.
Now a spots open in the rotation, so look for Cal Quantrill, who was acquired in the Clevinger deal, to get a shot. Additionally, remember the name Scott Moss. The lefty was acquired form the Reds in the Trevor Bauer trade.
The Indians have been stellar in developing starting pitching and they’ll need to catch lightning in a bottle yet again. I’ve got them finishing in third behind the White Sox and the Twins because scoring is going to be difficult.
Even if you’re the Cy Young Award winner, it’s hard to win when you’re lineup can only score 2-3 runs per game.
5. Runs will be hard to come by
If pressed to guess, the Indians lineup probably looks like this: CF, Oscar Mercado; 2B, Yu Chang; 3B, Jose Ramirez; DH, Franmil Reyes; LF, Josh Naylor; 1B, Bobby Bradley; C, Roberto Perez; SS, Gimenez, RF, Daniel. Johnson.
The only two offensive threats there are Jose Ramirez and Franmil Reyes. Everywhere else, the Indians are living on luck.
With Francisco Lindor in 2020, the Indians were 13th (out of 15 teams) in the American League in runs scored. Take Lindor out of the equation–even though Lindor had a down year in 2020–and it’s bad.
The big problem facing Cleveland in 2021 is that they just don’t have to get lucky once. They’ve got to hit the jackpot a couple times over, or it could be a slow go of things on the base paths on the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.
Can Oscar Mercado shake the sophomore slump and look like the viable offensive threat he was in 2019?
Will Yu Chang hit for the power he displayed at summer camp once he becomes an everyday player?
Can Naylor hit enough to give the Tribe an instant return on the Clevinger deal?
Bobby Bradley has power, but he’s never got to show off for an extended period ofttimes at the big league level. Can he produce?
Daniel Johnson’s stock has gone up since coming to Cleveland in the Gomes deal, but can he hold onto an OF job without going back to the minors?
It’s a lot of question marks and playoff contending teams usually have answers, not questions.