Cleveland Indians: Reds now linked to Francisco Lindor in trade rumors

Ohio’s NL franchise is the latest team in a ceaseless flurry of rumors on the Francisco Lindor trade front. Can the Reds make it worth Cleveland’s while?

Until the Cleveland Indians decisively commit to one direction or the other this offseason, Francisco Lindor‘s name will continue to be brought up in trade rumors.

The latest of these has linked him to the Cincinnati Reds, who don’t match up particularly well with the Indians in a deal of this magnitude. If the bar the Indians have set on a return for their franchise shortstop begins with the Dodgers’ Gavin Lux, it is difficult to imagine the Reds coming up with a similarly intriguing package.

If the Indians and Reds were to execute a deal involving Lindor, Nick Senzel would have to be the centerpiece on Cincinnati’s end. After being developed as a third baseman during his time in the minors, Senzel quickly transitioned to the outfield upon his promotion to the big leagues. Eugenio Suarez is firmly entrenched at third, and the recent Mike Moustakas signing eliminates the possibility of Senzel carving out a role at second in the near future.

Senzel logged nearly 800 innings in center field as a rookie in 2019, and in the event he doesn’t get moved to another team this winter, that’s likely his position in Cincinnati going forward. The Reds have a young and crowded outfield, which should help offset the anguish of trading a former top prospect if that’s what this ultimately comes to. (Getting arguably the best shortstop in the game won’t exactly hurt, either.)

On the other hand, it might be the Indians who feel some level of trepidation in acquiring Senzel. Senzel posted a wRC+ of 90 in 414 plate appearances in 2019, which isn’t anything to jump for joy over even if we allow for the rookie adjustment period. At least some of the shine has worn off, and at 24, it’s not as though he’s still a half-decade away from arriving at his prime.

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As far as position players with significant (and we’re using that term lightly here) MLB experience go, Senzel is the only one who makes much sense as part of a trade for a player of Lindor’s caliber. The rest of the deal would likely involve prospects and perhaps a reliever such as Raisel Iglesias or Amir Garrett.

On the prospect front, the Reds possess three players inside MLB.com’s top 100: infielder Jonathan India, right-handed pitcher Hunter Greene, and left-handed pitcher Nick Lodolo. With Cleveland allegedly demanding Lux and Dustin May from the Dodgers, the Reds aren’t getting this rumored deal done without giving up at least one of India, Greene, or Lodolo.

None of the three have an estimated call-up date earlier than 2021, which means the Indians would very much be hanging their hats on the idea that Senzel can replace Lindor’s bat to the extent that they are still a legitimate playoff contender for the next two years.

Another wrinkle that should be taken into account is that the Reds, like the Indians, are more than likely not going to be able to sign Lindor to an extension. Two years of Lindor is more than enough time to make a serious run into the latter stages of October, but 2021 is the end of the line no matter which Ohio team rosters him. This is likely to be reflected in what Cincinnati is willing to part with, as they’d be inheriting the expiration date as much as they’d be adding the player.

The Reds aren’t without intriguing trade candidates, but they’re an underwhelming partner if the deal in question involves Lindor. The Indians can’t afford to swing and miss if they trade their franchise player. If Lindor is moved this winter, it shouldn’t be for anything less than the biggest haul in team history. The Reds can make things interesting, and perhaps influence what other teams are willing to part with, but they’ll likely be unable to piece together the Godfather offer.