Indians: The Francisco Lindor trade rumors begin to swirl

The Cleveland Indians are going to get plenty of calls on Francisco Lindor throughout the offseason. One team is already reportedly interested.

Cleveland sports fans are dealing with enough drama right now so naturally one reporter had to get the Cleveland Indians involved.

That reporter is Jon Morosi of MLB Network who wrote an article this afternoon discussing how the Los Angeles Dodgers are interested in Francisco Lindor.

Oh?

Morosi says how the Dodgers are likely to pursue a deal for Lindor. Out of the blue this news can seem like total doom. But Morosi is really only saying the obvious. In fact, plenty of teams will try to pursue Lindor this offseason if they know the Indians are listening to offers. It is also foolish of the Indians not to listen, so expect more stories like this between now and Opening Day.

The Dodgers are an intriguing trade option because of the prospects in their system. However, I think it is entirely too early to begin talking about seriously trading Lindor.

Yes, the team should listen to offers. But offers will still be there midseason and next offseason. Of course, his value will go down a bit as he only has two years of team control left heading into 2020. But let’s go for it in 2020.

The Indians are still in a competitive window and Lindor is a huge piece of the puzzle. There should not be a rush to trade him this offseason. The only way that changes in 2020 is if the team totally stinks and enter July with no shot of competing for a World Series.

For those curious, here is who Morosi mentioned in a possible trade with the Dodgers:

"L.A.’s top two prospects — Lux and right-hander Dustin May — might be tough to pry away given that they already became key contributors in the final weeks of the 2019 season, but with the emergence of rookie catcher Will Smith, it would be easy to foresee fellow backstop Keibert Ruiz (the Dodgers’ No. 3 prospect, per MLB Pipeline) as a centerpiece in any deal. Right-hander Josiah Gray (No. 4 prospect) and shortstop Jeter Downs (No. 5) — both acquired from the Reds in last December’s blockbuster that sent Yasiel Puig, Alex Wood and Matt Kemp to Cincinnati — are among other possible trade pieces."

The Indians can restock the system with some top talent if Lindor is traded this offseason. That is known. I just don’t think it is the best move if the goal is to compete for a World Series in 2020.

There is also the wild option of trying to work out some sort of extension with Lindor.