We may be in for at least a couple of months of rumors centering on superstar Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor, who came up in trade speculation earlier Monday. The Dodgers are reportedly set to explore taking an offseason run at Lindor, already a four-time All-Star who won’t turn 26 until next month. Los Angeles is likely part of a large group of teams with interest in Lindor, as he’s clearly an elite, in-his-prime player who holds down one of baseball’s most valuable positions with aplomb.
In Cleveland’s shoes, it’s hardly a slam dunk the team will market Lindor. Since Lindor debuted in 2015, the Indians have come within striking distance of a World Series title, they’ve won three division championships and haven’t finished below .500. Even this season, which was a disappointment and non-playoff campaign for the club, it still won 93 games. Lindor was no small part of the Indians’ latest respectable performance, as he accounted for 4.4 fWAR, 34 home runs and 22 stolen bases despite missing the first couple weeks of the season with calf and ankle injuries. Factoring in his most recent output, the switch-hitting Lindor is tied with the venerable Jose Altuve for sixth among position players in fWAR (27.2).
Thanks to Lindor’s career-long brilliance, he’s set to earn a somewhat lofty salary in 2020 – his penultimate year of arbitration. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects Lindor will rake in $16.7MM, which obviously isn’t the type of salary just any team could absorb. However, Lindor is spectacular enough to make it worthwhile, and with the possible exception of Didi Gregorius, the upcoming class of free-agent shortstops offers little in the way of answers. With that in mind, the Indians probably wouldn’t have difficulty landing appealing offers for Lindor.
Of course, whether the Indians are willing to seriously consider moving Lindor (or someone like right-hander Corey Kluber, another speculative trade candidate) is in question. There still appears to be enough talent on hand for the team to push for a playoff berth next season, after all. The Indians could easily retain Lindor and attempt to make another run at a World Series in 2020, or they could at least keep him until the July trade deadline and see where they stand at that point. That said, the trade value of Lindor is surely high now, and the small-market Indians appear highly unlikely to extend him before he’s eligible to reach free agency. Perhaps the upcoming winter is the right time to aggressively market Lindor, then. How do you expect it to pan out?
(Poll link for app users)
He would look pretty damn good in Pinstripes!
NOBODY LOOKS GOOD IN PINSTRIPES UNLESS YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT THE METS, CUBS, ETC.
Only one of the teams listed (Mets) has the youngsters and prospect that would land Lindor. They will keep him for another year unless they are blown away with a package.
Mets farm is not so great. Not sure where you get that the Mets have the prospects?
They have a few young kids that may be amicable in a trade. Dominic Smith and McNiell…
He’d look great playing next to his brother Javy Baez.
Schwarber and Kris Bryant for Lindor and one of their relievers. KB would be a huge upgrade at 3rd for Cleveland.. cubs would improve at SS and 2nd. Baez could move to 2nd. Hoerner can play 3rd,SS and 2nd. As can Baez..
Indians would be fools not to jump at that!
And in 2 years, the owner can sell, Francona can retire, and the FO can all secure jobs elsewhere.
If the Indians are going to trade Lindor, they are going to acquire pre-arb guys in return.
The Indians are looking for players with more control. Bryant and Lindor have the same amount of control. Schwarber is a DH and the Indians do not need a DH. Besides, Lindor has more value than Bryant and Schwarber combined.
Indians could use an upgrade at DH.
Not true. Lindor is coming off a 4.4 fWAR season. That is his value.
Bryant 4.8 fWAR
Schwarber 2.6 fWAR
So your statement is incorrect.
But it is a bad match up trade for either team.
Baez gave a +15 DRS value at SS. That is gold Glove concideration.
Nico gave enough pause In Sept to let him fight for 2B.
They still have control over Russell if Horner needs more time in AAA. Which he doesn’t.
Cle is going to look at a haul of a return for him. They are not looking at swapping situations with no control gain.
Are you sooo sure? You talk as of your in the know? As if your involved with ownership or upper management? We all get that you love Lindor but you come up with absolutes is incredibly flawed. . .
Schwarber 529 at bats – 38 home runs and .250 average
Reyes 494 at bats 37 home runs .249 average. How is Schwarber better than Framil Reyes? The Indians don’t need Schwarber.
Billy, are you still pouting because I don’t agree with you? Sorry, I am not in the know, but after watching the Indians for 54 years, listening to interviews, and doing plenty of reading, I feel I have a good feel about what the Indian front office is doing.
A middle infield of Lindor and Baez would be pretty sick. Cleveland would never do that deal though. They’d be in the same boat with Bryant’s pending free agency.
I’m just curious what prospects or high end players that the Cubs could possibly trade to pry Lindor. They’ve already spilled the farm for Quintana and Chapman over the past several seasons
Bryant is not an upgrade over Ramirez.
Yes he is. Ramirez is very overrated on defense. Make it a three team trade and send Ramirez to boston for eovaldi
Uh, you might wanna check the stats on that one. Ramirez is a 5-tool player, and one could easily make an argument that he’s the best 3B in the game when he’s healthy.
Bryant isnt a 5 tool player? Ramirez is overrated..
One of the 5 tools is speed. Ramirez stole 24 bases. Bryant stole 4. Bryant is a very good player, we can agree to that, but he is not a five -tool player.
MLB at bat app has already said that the Los Angeles Dodgers are going to actively pursue a trade that would send Lindor toLA. This would make sense being there has already been talk about Justin Turner being moved to second base and Seger going over to third.
Zero percent chance of Turner ever playing 2nd. He would play 1st with Muncy staying at 2nd
Lux will play second.
Trading for Lindor and keeping Lux? Good luck.
Uhh well if any team had the prospects to do it outside of TB or SD. It’d be the Dodgers. The dodgers happen to also be the only one of those 3 who can one day afford a 350 million dollar Lindor contract if they chose to do so.
A Dustin May/Keibert Ruiz/ Jeter downs package with say Chris Taylor involved to replace Lindor would be pretty hard to top.
The Brewers can’t Top it. The cardinals can’t do it. The Astros have no reason to do it. And I don’t think the Yankees can top that without purging everything in the top half of the entire system. So.
I don’t know what team in baseball would realistically top that offer. Youd need a team that had multiple blue chip prospects and is contending right this second. That description does Not exactly fit many teams.
Lux has to be in the deal. Starting pitching and catcher are positions of strength. You don’t trade Lindor to add to a strength.
I don’t think trading Trevor Bauer necessarily made the team stronger on day 1 either. Trading Lindor and making your team better immediately isn’t something that’s easy to accomplish.
I agree with you 100% that Lux makes the most sense. But I think there could be another path there. The dodgers have a lot of chips
To offer. And there’s always the possibility of a 3rd team inclusion like they did for Bauer.
Bob Seger?
Yeah maybe, but not if the deal involves the Silver Bullet Band
Haha!
Yes lets be honest he gone
I see a lot of yes votes from Yankee and Dodger fans that want it to happen. It is how it usually plays out. I’m not sure Cleveland will even think of trading him until mid season and then only if they are well out of the running.
How exactly do you know whether the people voting yes were “Yankee and Dodger fans”?
He hacked the poll
Damn Russian bots.
Any contender would probably want him but the teams probably needing him the most would be the
Reds / Mets / Brewers / Giants imo.
Not saying that the above will get him
but they’d upgrade the most at the position.
I wish the Giants had the prospect capital to pull off a trade like that without absolutely demolishing the farm. I also wish they would just cut Crawford and grab someone from the scrap heap who can hit even a little bit. Crawford’s defense took a huge step back this year, and that is really the only thing that justified him having a roster spot the last few years.
The Giants couldnt trade their whole farm for Lindor.
As a Giants fan I think it’d be a huge mistake. Lindor is far better than any player we have right now but we’re too far behind the Dodgers for it to matter. We gotta just bide our time for a few years and develop talent
Reds won’t empty the farm. They’ve given up plenty in the last year to get where they are.
THAT’S MY SHORTSTOP *In my TO voice*
Is MLBTR 0bsessed with the Indians trading Lindor or what? This is at least the third article on Lindor’s possible trade in the last week. Tell us when it happens, huh? But, the small market, midwestern team enjoy their star for a while longer before the mighty Yankees or Dodgers suck him up like they always do.
.
Or those midwestern powerhouses in Cincinnati grab another member of the Tribe!
They won’t… but as my daughter used to constantly say when she was three, “Yeah, but what if”?
The owner said Lindor will not be signed long term. The speculation is legitimate.
He never said that he wouldn’t sign him long term. He said Enjoy him while he is here and he can see us signing someone to a 300 million contract when other teams are signing players to 1 billion dollar contracts but you never know. I doubt he will be signed long term and think he will most likely either be traded at the deadline or before 2021 but people took the one part of the quote and turned it twisted it to we are trading him. He left the door open that if it became the best option he could sign him.
As much as Dolan, the front office and the media will tell you that Cleveland “can’t afford” Lindor the truth is they can. Yes he would be a large part of the payroll but it would be entirely possible with how many guys on the team are pre-arbitration for the next 2 years to keep everybody on the team give Lindor a contract and still have some room to add some smaller pieces around him and still not go over the 120 million they had this year. Most of the big contracts they have end after 2020 or 2021 if they pick up the options on them opening up flexibility again.
If someone offers up the right package, he’s gone this winter.
“Like they always do” hah tell me the last time Dodgers got the biggest names on the market besides short term post season relief? Maybe AGon , Crawford and Beckett ? They only Go for mid market players now and reclamation projects
I see no reason to move him this offseason unless they get an offer they can’t refuse.
The Indians have to be ultra aggressive for the next couple years while the rest of the central is a burning dumpster fire. This Lindor news tells everyone in baseball to put forth their best offer.
I suspect they’ll move him for elite pitching prospects and encourage us to criticize their sacrifice of offense.
Hopefully, they send Lindor and Kluber to the Astros for Sheffield and Pressly.
The Indians do not need starting pitching as a main piece in any Lindor trade. The Indians would need hitting and more hitting as they would be trading their best bat.
Lindor will cost about 17-18 million next year. They could replace his defense with Jose Iglesias at 2 million. Replace his bat with an Encarnacion reunion at 10 million. Replace his legs with Billy Hamilton to serve as a pinch runner and defensive sub at 1 million. They save money, get younger, and get better.
Except Lindor does all of that at one roster spot. This argument might honestly be the most absurd thing I’ve seen on here. Let alone all 3 of those players combined will have a lower WAR then Lindor.
Get younger?
Except 3 players can’t simultaneously play 1 position.
Yes, they’ll have a lower combined WAR but the team would have more wins. WAR doesn’t equal wins, out scoring opponents equals wins. And the Indians should focus on our pitching teams like the Rays did.
WAR maybe doesn’t equal wins, but it definitely contributes to it. Those 3 were a combined 4.5 WAR between them which is right where Lindor is at, BUT that takes 3 roster spots. Why shouldn’t the Angels trade Trout and replace him with 6 Edwin Encarncions instead?
You do know Sheffield is now on Mariners, right?
I’m pretty sure that’s a joke of a post as I read it again.
I’m sure Cleveland wants to trade him but to where?
Cardinals are the only team I can see as a partner.
The cardinals dont have what it takes to get a deal done.
how are the Cardinals the only team you see as a partner?! I’d really like to know the rationale behind this statement
I think trade deadline might be more likely. That way Cleveland gets another half season of production from him and acquiring team gets 1.5 years (and two postseasons).
Angels need to take notes from the Dodgers.
Indians should trade Lindor and Kluber to Dodgers for Seager, Buehler, Muncy, Verdugo and Maeda plus $100 million. Indians can use $50 million of that to buy back Manhattan and the second $50 million to knock down Dodger Stadium. Dodgers would re-locate as step-children to Angel Stadium. They’d be known as the Anaheim Dodgers formerly of Los Angeles. The yearly rent would be $1 higher than what the Chargers will be paying the landlord Rams.
Geez you are such a troll. Why is it the Padre fans that always make the d..k move? What are you 12?
I dismiss your accusation—it’s not my fault you have no sense of humor. And the move is possible when you’ve got one. You should follow the code and not glance over. And no, not quite.
Yeah, the Angels just don’t have the goods to make a trade like this happen.
Better the Angels not having the goods for this trade than the Dodgers having the prospects to make this trade and still manage to choke in every WS run from now until forever.
I’m not a Dodgers fan.. but I suppose I’d prefer to choke in the WS than choke in the regular season. It is amazing how many games the Angels can lose with that massive payroll.
Sorry, my bad. Anyone who doesn’t win the WS in any given year is by definition a loser. Why tease one’s fans by getting close to the prom queen only to see her leave with the other guy? Would rather stay home (not in the playoffs) than bite the big one in front of the baseball world.
When was last time Padres made it to World Series and won?
Last year MLBTR squeezed at least 50 articles out of where Kluber was going to be traded to. The Indians position was that they’d listen, but they would have to be overwhelmed to trade him. They never received a decent offer.
This year, the clickbait sites are at it again, only Lindor is the juicy bait.
The Indians would want back multiple top-tier controllable young players. Period.
Yankees don’t remotely have the expendable prospects, nor does any other contender other then the Dodgers. And from them you start with Ruiz, Verdugo, and either Lux or a top young pitcher. Maybe the Indians feed back a relief pitcher such as Cimber, Goody, or Otero. Don’t see the Dodgers doing anything like that.
I’m not sitting through 47 more articles and screwball trade proposals where the payroll-challenged Indians take back overpaid platoon players and/or pitching busts that will leave them in a year or so.
That’s absolute insanity that you think the package starts with 3 of those guys. Lux is a top 5 prospect. There’s this thing known as supply and demand. The dodgers and the rays are the only two contending teams in baseball with a top 5 prospect. Specifically ones who play SS and can take Lindor’s spot for the next 6 seasons…..The Rays sure as hell won’t pay Lindor’s arb salaries so you can go ahead and scratch them. That gives you the Minnesota Twins as the next contending team with a couple of top prospects. You think they’re dealing him inter division when they try to simultaneously contend for the division title? Yeah, don’t think so.
You assume the Indians have a ton of options here. They’re in the same position they were in with Bauer. Everyone knows they aren’t going to pay that arb salary next season. It’s their choice whether they decide to go for a WS with Lindor and sell him next offseason for a lot less. Or they cash in now and extend their competitive window. Is there a right or wrong answer? Don’t know but if a legitimate decision they have to make is “clickbait” well then everything around here is.
Bauer had one elite season. Lindor has never not had one.
jbigz12;
You need to brush up on reading comprehension……
The Indians hold the cards on Lindor – as they did last year with Kluber. Their awful option is to keep him (as they did Kluber in 2019). Can’t pay his salary? Kipnis had a higher salary in 2019, and he’s off the books.
No matter what the cliuckbait sites say, they do not have to trade Lindor this off-season, or even during the 2020 season.
An argument can be made that Lindor is the #2 most impactful position player in the AL next to Trout. He is not going to be traded for the likes of Joc Peterson – a platoon OF with an $8.5m contract and awaiting free agency after 2020.
Don’t preach to me about top 5 prospects. Few – as Lindor did – pan out into actually developing into stars.
I think you need to watch some Indians games. The young man literally affects every. single. game. he plays. Even if he goes 0 for 4. The Indians started winning in 2019 after he got off the IL. It could be argued that had he been available all season, the team would have won the AL Central. Guarantee me that Ruiz, Verdugo, and either Lux or a top young pitcher will do that.
Brush up on player valuations and show me the last time a guy was dealt for a haul of that caliber. Certainly wasn’t Realmuto. Who only fetched one prospect of that caliber. The package isn’t starting with 3 top young players like that. I don’t really care what your thought is on top 5 prospects. That’s pretty irrelevant.
The Indians won’t be trading Otero. He will be a free agent in a few days. It has been publicized that the Tribe will decline the club option it holds on his contract for 2020.
Vandals – thank you for your sane and rational way of thinking in these crazy times. Lfrient – 3 top tier prospects that are ML ready or close, plus at least another lower tier / lower level prospect if you want Antonetti to even pick up the phone. Period.
Since it’s the Indians owner were talking about here, throw in 20 million bucks and you can have him for a couple depth prospects. I’m really hoping to see a great encore after last years payroll purge when they were trying to compete.
You can go whine about the payroll cutting but it did not hurt that teams bottom line win total. I was one of them criticizing the moves but they sure as hell didn’t turn out bad. Roberto Perez was better than Yan Gomes. And somehow Nick Witgren and Tyler Clippard were better than half the relievers the league spent money on. Naquin and Luplow were serviceable outfielders as well.
Was it luck? Or was it purely skill in recognizing undervalued talent? Probably a little bit of both but I don’t think you can go berate Dolan. Cookie got cancer, Bauer didn’t pitch very well and Kluber missed essentially the entire season…..And they still won 92 games. Not bad. Wasn’t their year. Don’t think that’s on the FO.
93*
I admire the sense of humor! Yes, 93 wins instead of 92. Thanks!
jbigz12;
You really need to stop reading statistics and drawing conclusions from them as if MLB is computer baseball
1. A major reason the Indians won 92 games in 2019 was because they went 18-1 against the hapless Tigers. Under Francona they beat up on the teams they need to beat up on.
2. I know that managers and coaches don’t count to those that analyze baseball teams on a computer using spreadsheets and groupthink, but the fact is that Francona and his coaches excel at bringing along players and getting the most out of them. Francona is easily the best manager in MLB, using everything at his disposal to get his players put in the best position for them to compete in each game. That’s a trend the past few years for a lot of teams – Dodgers, Brewers, Cardinals, and others. Francona has been doing it successfully since he got to Cleveland in 2013 – always outperforming off-season win projections. Yes, they’re a pitching-based team. But that’s how they plan their team and use their players.
Going back to the Bauer options – do you realize what they got for him? Come back and talk to me about that in 2 years.
I know that it is not of critical importance, but the Indians won 93 games in 2019 not 92.
Hey buddy, are the Indians going to play the Tigers again this year? Did you make a point in any of this? Or did you just say computer baseball? I didn’t reference WAR or any other statistic so you seem to bringing in some outside bias into this post. Sounds an awful lot like another poster I know……
Which is funny. You just typed 2 paragraphs about “computer baseball” when I said the Indians FO ended up making some decent moves. And you’re talking to me about reading comprehension?
so what’s your point? The Indians are bad? The Indians should trade Frankie Lindor? Because you just said absolutely nothing and went off on some tangent….
Do I realize what they got for Bauer? I didn’t trash the Bauer return in anyway. I’m not sure if you’re impressed with the return or not from your post honestly….Reyes is a DH and Logan Allen is an alright lefty. Nova and Moss have upside but they certainly aren’t top prospects. Don’t know what you’re getting at here.
I never trashed the return; I think it was a fine one. None of those guys are anywhere close to being as good of a prospect as Lux or Ruiz. So I’m not sure what your point is. Nor did I ever say that the Indians wouldn’t get some ancillary pieces back in a Lindor trade. Guys like Alex verdugo just aren’t those kind of pieces.
The Padre fan on here is an idiot!
gidez1 is a maga frumpanzee.
The Dodgers have stayed away from big contracts and any 100 million contracts for a while, mostly due to horrible contracts like, Crawford, AGon, Kemp, etc. But they have a lot of money coming off the books. I believe they can trade Gavin Lux, Joc Pederson , Austin Barnes and Ross Strplin and either a lower level prospect or cash for Lindor and Brad Hand, Turner would move to 1st, Muncy 2nd and Seager 3rd or they might trade him also and go after Rendon. Bullpen is what the Dodgers really need and Hand, Chapman, will Smith or Hader should be at the top of their list! That and possibly trying Maeda as a closer and see how that goes. He has been about unhitable coming out the pen the last 2 years in the postseason
They can make all the moves they wish—none will ever culminate in a WS title.
The Dodgers have NOT stayed away from big contracts. Did they stay away from the $8,400,000,000? And they’re keeping it! Extra big player salaries? Nooooooo…. Dodgers have what they need and your needs don’t make the cut, so scat— they got somebody more important on the other line….”Hello, Shecky Green…?”
Indians were a joke this year. The entire thing about salary cutting basically told their fanbase hey, not here for winning. What was the point of rebuilding to get a Lindor? Throwing in the towel when they trade him, Kluber, and Bauer.
Or they could’ve backed up the brinks truck like Philly and SD and not gotten anywhere. Spending doesn’t equate winning and most of the contracts in FA aren’t exactly “good buys.” That’s why the 75 million dollar payroll squads like the Rays and A’s were playing October baseball.
Small and mid-market teams are nothing but feeders for large market coastal teams. You can thank George Steinbrenner and the salary cap for this unbalanced economic system.
The Orioles, Royals, Tigers, and Marlins were jokes. Not the Indians.
they’ll probably not find a good deal and let him wall in a few years.
I don’t think they’ll trade him this winter but if there’s one thing we know is that Antonetti and Chernoff aren’t stupid. We all know that some point Frankie won’t be wearing an Indians uniform so if they’re gonna trade him they may as well do it when they know they can get the most out of him. Look at what happened with Machado and Baltimore … they waited too long and didn’t get anywhere near as good of a deal by trading him with two months left on his contract. Yes the fans are gonna be pissed when he leaves but it is what it is. Better to trade him too soon than too late.
Lux and May would almost certainly be a part of that package. It would have to be overwhelming for the Indians
The only way the Yankees can beat the dodgers is if they include pre arb players (german, Montgomery, andujar, Frazier, voit) I have to think that the Indians still want to compete so if the Yankees trade let’s say german, Frazier, along with Garcia and maybe another prospect I think they can get it done
German is suspended for beating his girlfriend. Remember the Chapman trade? Or the Osuna one? He’s untradeable right now if you want anywhere close to fair value. But even if he was that package isn’t gonna do it.
We have a first bsaseman so no need for Voit. Frazier is horrible defensively and a poor teammate. He is not an Indian type of player and likely a DH. Indians do not need a DH, Andujar is horrible defensively as well and likely another DH. DH,, again, is not a need for the Indians. Starting pitching is a team strength for the Indians so no need for German and Montgomery. Besides, German will likely be suspended for some portion of 2019.
Sorry, but that offer does not help the Indians.
If I’m the Indians, I want to contend in 2020. I’ll trade Lindor if it allows me to contend in 2020 while getting cheaper/younger. I’ve thrown this idea around:
Indians give up:
Lindor
Kluber
Dodgers give up:
Chris Taylor
Joc Pederson
Julio Urias
Austin Barnes
The Dodgers have
1B-Muncy, 2B- Seager, SS- Lindor, 3B- Turner OF- Lux, Bellinger, Verdugo/Pollock
Rotation: Buehler, Kershaw, Kluber, Maeda, May
Playing Seager at 2B and Lux in LF is not ideal, But Turner is gone in 2021 allowing you to move Seager to 3B and Lux to 2B.
Terrible proposal for the Indians. All discussions start and don’t end with Lux.
Not even the (de)lux(e) package ensures a happy ending.
Urias is the centerpiece of your deal and Cleveland’s strength is starting pitching so right there your deal does not make sense and would not happen.
I also argue your other point about being younger –
Pederson is 27 years old, a platoon outfielder, only one year of control.
Taylor is 29 years old, a good utility player, 2 years of control
Barnes is also 29 years old, a back up catcher which is not needed, 3 years of control.
Lindor turns 26 in mid November, is one of the top 5 or 10 players in MLB, and has 2 years of control. Only Urias is younger than Lindor.
Pederson, Taylor, and Barnes are projected to combine for 14.8 million in salary while Lindor is projected for 16.7 million. The Dodger trio is not much cheaper, but much less effective and helpful to the Cleveland Indians.
Matthew, any trade of Francisco Lindor must help the Indians in 2020 and beyond. I agrue that your trade does neither.
Urias (The Pup Eith the Ring Around His Rye) is the centerpiece? Maybe of the Little Rascals museum.
Those Dodgers are barely hanging on to their 40 man roster spots! And you want to make a trade? Been drinking that Doyer punch too much.
Padreshave32yrstobedtfodger1Stw One you have no idea what your talking about roster spots for Dodgers! Worry about your team that hired some dude from Rangers to be your manager ! He was never a manager! Continue fighting for cellar in NL West!
aaronbj the Dodgers Manager was never a manager either when you hired him.
He was the Padres First bade Coach.
So what’s your point?
Good call—betcha the guy doesn’t retort.
At least Roberts had a position on coaching staff in majors ! Your guy from Texas had a minor league job Like I said have fun in the cellar and Machado! I give him one or two more years until he wants to be traded because you guys Suck!
The Indians aren’t just going to give him away. If you’re the Yankees, prepare for “Gleyber Torres” to be the ask from Cleveland. Not saying that will be the trade, but that will absolutely be the opening ask and that isn’t unreasonable.
Lindor and Baez will both be Angels.
How do you expect that to happen?
I assume you mean via free agency because the Angels have one prospect to trade..
Have to imagine a team will make an obscene offer to the Indians and get him. Also, Yankees have to decide on Didi first before saying they’ll go after Lindor as a 1-year rental.
Lindor has two years of control and the pieces that the Yankees will offer will not get Francisco Lindor.
I’ve read through quite a few of these comments and here’s what strikes (pun intended) me. The overwhelming suggestion is that only a contender has the wherewithal and farm system to make a deal for Lindor happen. But wait, didn’t Bud Selig tell us all quite a few years ago that the competitive balance in baseball was in fantastic shape? We all knew that was BS then and it still is. I constantly hear all of these ideas to “fix the game”, yet the powers that be never attempt to address this issue.
The point is that Lindor is only under contract for one more season.
Why would a “non” contender trade young prospects for one season of Lindor?
Francisco Lindor has two years of control not one.
Only deal I see that makes sense is Dodgers and Indians where Lux and May are in the deal but I’m not so sure the Dodgers are gonna want to trade Lux with that much control and he’s obviously ready now.
Here is a trade that will hurt 3 teams and help 3 teams but may excite Dodger fanbase the most short term and Indians fan base long term.
The Dodgers needs are RH power bats, bullpen.
Indians needs are bats if they are going for it and knowing the Indians Lindor will be dealt.
Yanks needs are starting pitchers.
Dodgers are already the big team on Lindor and have the chips.
Heres the 3 way deal:
Indians deal Lindor to Dodgers.
Dodgers send Gavin Lux (#1) and Omar Estevez 2nd/ss(#8 potential break out)to Indians and May (#3) to the Yankees.
Yankees send Stanton w/ cash (35 mil) to Dodgers, Estevan Florial (#3) and Albert Abreu (#6) to the Indians.
Dodgers lineup: Lindor, RF-Stanton, 1B-Muncy, Turner, Bellinger, 2B- Seager, LF-Pederson, Smith, pitcher
Sounds to me like Cleveland wants to have their cake and eat it by trading a bunch of All Stars and still contending.
It won’t happen.