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Even those who were skeptical about David Stearns’ offseason overhaul of the New York Mets (raises hand) didn’t think things would go THIS far south.
It’s July 20, the first Monday after the All-Star Break, and the Mets are on pace for their first last-place finish and worst season since 2003 and thus one of only a handful of unquestioned sellers as the Aug. 3 trade deadline approaches.
And the trade bait might include…shortstop Francisco Lindor, who not so long ago appeared to be on the verge of being named Mets captain and on the fast track to Cooperstown? That Francisco Lindor? Anything is possible for a team spiraling down the drain.
Why the Mets Should Trade Francisco Lindor
Like me trying to organize my room as a kid (or my living room now), Stearns’ haphazard clean-up efforts turned what should have been a challenging yet reasonable task into a far bigger mess.
The Mets reportedly want to compete again next year (whenever that is), but where exactly is the path to contention? They have two-fifths of a starting rotation, a good outfield and maybe, depending on the teardown over the next two weeks, a solid bullpen.
But other than Lindor, their infield is a mess of prospects out of time to prove themselves, over-the-hill veterans and All-Stars playing out of position.
Their first basemen (.638 OPS) and second basemen (.598 OPS) each enter today with an OPS more than 100 points below the league average at their respective positions. Their third basemen (.629 OPS, league average .710 OPS) aren’t much more effective. And there are no major league-ready prospects on the horizon.
So why not shore up the farm system by sending Lindor, who is nearing the end of his peak years at 32, to a contender? The free agent market is always filled with reasonably priced stopgap veterans, even if Stearns didn’t find any of them last year. The Mets can’t possibly do worse stocking the infielders with at least a couple of 30-somethings on short-term deals next year. (Right?)
Plus, it feels like a divorce is inevitable from both sides. Lindor is a symbol of Steve Cohen’s initial largesse, when he thought he’d win at least one title within his first five seasons and wanted to prove he wasn’t the Wilpons by signing Lindor to a 10-year extension regular season sight unseen.
Things have not gone as Cohen hoped. And he waited three years to hire Stearns, who dislikes long-term contracts almost as much as the core he inherited.
There are just six players left on the big league team from 2023 — impending free agent Brooks Raley, who is as good as gone over the next two weeks, along with frustrating 20-somethings Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty and Mark Vientos as well as Cy Young candidate turned mop-up man Kodai Senga.
Other than Lindor, none of these players can be counted on to be a foundational piece of the next good Mets team. May as well rip off the Band-Aid by dealing Lindor too — especially since, Sunday’s three-hit game excepted, he seems completely immersed in the Mets malaise.
Maybe it’s his cold war with Juan Soto and the accumulation of battles for control of the clubhouse. Maybe it’s because Cohen made it abundantly clear Lindor is never going to be captain. Maybe it’s just the rotten luck of this season, which includes the longest IL stint of Lindor’s career.
Whatever the reason, Lindor has performed as if in a fog at the plate, on the bases and in the field. He looks like a player in need of a fresh start, performing for a team that may as well finish resetting.
Why the Mets Shouldn’t Trade Francisco Lindor
Well, he might be performing as if in a fog, but he’s still a Hall of Fame-track shortstop within the prime of his career and those guys don’t grow on trees.
His breakout game Sunday was a reminder it’s too early to give up on Lindor, whose penchant for slow starts is magnified this year because he missed most of spring training with a left hamate bone injury and played just 24 regular season games before suffering a strained left calf that cost him two months.
July is basically the second month of the season for Lindor, who is fewer than two years removed from being the NL’s best player not named Shohei Ohtani. someone with seven top-10 finishes in MVP balloting.
Lindor’s three-hit game Sunday was also a reminder the Mets, for all their flaws, at least have a good top half of the lineup with Soto, Lindor and Bo Bichette being surrounded by rookie outfielders A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge — a quintet that has taken the field together just 13 times this season.
Trying to replace even a diminished Lindor at the top of the order is a lot to ask for a team that’s going to have a ton of work to do this off-season. Better to work on shoring up more glaring areas of concern and hope Lindor has better fortune next season (whenever next season happens).
More MLB:
- Blue Jays Must Have Difficult Conversation With Kevin Gausman
- Ohtani Injury Sends Dodgers Trade Deadline Curveball
- Cubs, Cardinals Must Circle Jose Soriano Before Trade Deadline
Plus, Lindor has a no-trade clause as a 10/5 player (10 years in the majors, five with the same team). Even if he agrees to a trade, who is going to take the five years and $170.5 million left on Lindor’s contract with the never-ending lockout looming and owners bound and determined to get their salary cap?
This becomes especially difficult to pull off if the Mets aren’t willing to pay down contracts in return for better prospects, a la 2023 when they basically gave away Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. Let’s not even get into how giving away Scherzer and Verlander yielded no difference-making major leaguers for the Mets. Are you trusting Stearns to get more for Lindor in a depressed market?
Will Mets Trade Francisco Lindor?
Considering David Wright is the only Mets superstar to finish his career with the club? Yes, eventually, they’ll trade Lindor, especially given the amount of smoke that has filtered out over his availability over the last couple weeks.
Related: If you think Soto is going to play the next 13-plus seasons in Queens, I’ve also got some 1987 Topps commons that will bankroll your retirement.
But Lindor’s probably not getting traded anytime in the next two weeks. There’s little doubt Stearns would love to shed Lindor’s contract, but the labor uncertainty and Lindor’s underperformance this season make it hard to see anyone taking the chance Lindor can be the player that puts a team over the top in 2026, future payroll or cap concerns be damned.
Once a new CBA is hammered out, whenever that happens, teams will have a better idea of how to squeeze the rest of Lindor’s contract into their budgets. Until then, the Mets and Lindor are going to be stuck with one another.
Related: Cohen Keeping Stearns on Bobby Bonilla Day Is Very Mets
