Cleveland Indians: The best and worst landing spots for Francisco Lindor

The Cleveland Indians are expected to move on from Francisco Lindor, but where will the star end up and which are the best and worst options for the Tribe?

The clock is ticking on how much longer Francisco Lindor will be with the Cleveland Indians. His contract will just be too large for the owners to commit to paying, so moving him before his deal expires to get something in return seems like the only option at this point.

Luckily, the Indians have options in-house to replace Lindor when the time comes, so the return in the trade can be used to improve other positions or bolster the minor leagues and future of the franchise. However, who the Indians deal Lindor to is just as important as who they get in return.

The team that acquires Lindor from the Indians will do so with the idea of signing him to a long-term deal along the lines of 10 years. That means that the Tribe will have to take a lot into account when deciding which team to send Lindor to when the trade happens.

Knowing the potential of Lindor, the Indians will want to ensure that they don’t face him too much, similar to how the Red Sox sent Mookie Betts to the Dodgers, moving him from the American League to the National League. This will play into the decision of which team to trade him to, how often the Indians will have to face him.

There’s no question that the Indians will gain a big haul for Lindor and the return can be endlessly speculated. There’s a decent chance this could be one of the biggest trades in club history, and with that comes the pressure of nailing it. While the front office will be focused on the return, where Lindor lands need to be a focal point as well.

With that being said, here’s the best and some of the worst landing spots that the Cleveland Indians could send Francisco Lindor to this offseason.