Francisco Lindor

Lindor trade confirms Mets status as true contenders

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The Mets and Indians have agreed to a trade, sending Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco to New York in exchange for four young players.

Cleveland receives Amed Rosario, Andres Gimenez, Josh Wolf and Isaiah Greene in the deal. The Mets get their big-name offseason acquisition in Lindor and an experienced starter to provide depth in the rotation.

This was a win for the Mets. It’s that simple.

Relinquishing Gimenez hurts, and Rosario still has upside, but their playing time was going to be limited with Lindor on the team. They kept Brett Baty, a promising third baseman. They kept Matthew Allan, the farm’s best pitching prospect following the Marcus Stroman trade.

In an offseason of high expectations, the Mets have made one of, if not the, biggest moves to date. Lindor is an all-world caliber player, joining a line-up featuring Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo.

       

The addition of Carrasco in the deal cannot be overstated, either. He might be deep into his thirties, and have a couple years of guaranteed money remaining, but a sub-3.00 ERA in 2020 is more than welcome on a Mets team that lacks guarantees behind Jacob deGrom.

Lindor’s potential contract extension

If we want to speculate about the future, the inclusion of Rosario and Gimenez suggests the Mets have a strong inclination they can extend Lindor’s contract. This is a very similar situation to what the Dodgers found themselves in with Mookie Betts. Two years of Carrasco and Lindor long-term for that prospect return is phenomenal.

Steve Cohen’s decision to buy the team was a significant moment in Mets history. The majority of offseason Mets speculation has been about marquee free agent acquisitions. Make no mistake, though – this deal is about willingness to spend. Committing big money to Lindor enables this trade. Taking Carrasco’s contract off the penny-pinching Indians is a big-market power move that only a handful of franchises would make. The Mets are now one of those franchises.

Making a trade of this ilk without weakening the Major League roster is massive. Murmurs of Nimmo, Dominic Smith or J.D. Davis being included in a deal of this size did not materialise. The Mets have a roster to seriously challenge the Dodgers, Padres and Braves for the National League crown.

Sure, we’ve been here before. It has been easy to dunk on the Mets in the past. Hope has often turned to despair with alarming speed. This is different – this is a big-market team being aggressive, taking a good, competitive team to a great one with realistic World Series aspirations.

       

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