Francisco Lindor raises doubts about future with Indians with latest comments

Francisco Lindor is due to enter free agency after the 2021 season, and the prospect of him reaching a long-term agreement with the Cleveland Indians does not seem likely right now.

Lindor said Saturday he wants to stay in Cleveland, but he has not received an offer to his liking that fits with his priorities.

Francisco Lindor with some eyebrow-raising comments about his future.

Said he wants to stay in Cleveland, but “they haven’t offered me the right thing.”

Said he wants to “get paid for a long time,” but also said he’s “not money-driven, I’m championship-driven.”

— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) February 1, 2020

This doesn’t sound promising from Cleveland’s standpoint. The Indians have shied away from expensive contract extensions, and they’ve traded Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer in the last year for financial reasons. Those are two moves that probably won’t make Lindor feel optimistic about potentially winning a championship given their importance to the Cleveland pitching staff.

Indians owner Paul Dolan had made some comments about Lindor previously that certainly made it seem more likely that the star shortstop would be headed for free agency. These won’t do anything to make Indians fans optimistic that anything has changed.

Lindor hit .284 with 32 home runs last season. If he does become a free agent after 2021, he’d be doing it ahead of his age 28 season, and he’ll receive a massive contract.