Cleveland Indians: 3 favorites to get Francisco Lindor after Winter Meetings

Cincinnati Reds

A more surprising team that has been paired with Francisco Lindor and the Cleveland Indians in trade talks are the Cincinnati Reds. It wouldn’t be the first time the Indians and Reds made a deal and it has happened recently, seeing Trevor Bauer move to southern Ohio.

Like Toronto, the Reds have players in their system that could interest the Indians, but they aren’t as close to being ready for the majors as the players from the Blue Jays would be. Additionally, it would be hard for Cincinnati to match the talent of a player like Gurriel, unless they would be willing to part with Nick Senzel.

The other side to the Reds that could keep a deal from getting done is their financial restrictions. While they might be willing to pay more than the Indians, would they have enough to keep Lindor long-term? If not, then what they are willing to offer will go down, making a deal less likely.

Given the proximity of where the rumors are originating from in Cleveland, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that the Reds have come up a decent amount. While they might not have the most to offer, they could make an intriguing offer to the Indians that could get the ball rolling for a bigger deal like we saw with Trevor Bauer a little over a year ago.