It was only a matter of time before the Cleveland Indians traded Francisco Lindor, and they have finally found a landing spot for the star shortstop.
The New York Mets have finalized a deal to acquire Lindor from Cleveland, ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported on Thursday. The Mets are also getting pitcher Carlos Carrasco in the deal.
The deal has since been made official, with the Mets announcing they have sent infielder Amed Rosario, infielder Andrés Giménez, pitcher Josh Wolf and outfielder Isaiah Greene to the Indians.
Trading for Lindor is the first blockbuster move of the Steve Cohen era for the Mets. Cohen made it clear that he is willing to spend big to build a contender, and ESPN’s Buster Olney notes that there is a good chance the team will work out a long-term deal with Lindor quickly.
Lindor, 27, had a bit of a down season in 2020, though it was an unusual year with the coronavirus pandemic. He hit .258 with eight home runs and 27 RBI in 60 games. Lindor is a career .285 hitter who was named an All-Star every year from 2016-2019.
We know of at least one other team that had strong interest in Lindor, but it’s no big surprise the Mets were willing to outspend everyone. They are also said to be in on the top free agents on the market and almost certainly are not done adding.
Photo: Erik Drost/Flickr via CC-BY-SA 2.0
