Cleveland Indians: 3 possible Francisco Lindor trades to New York Mets

Three potential trades for Francisco Lindor between the Cleveland Indians and the New York Mets.

Little news has been reported of a Francisco Lindor trade, but the New York Mets have been rumored as a trade partner for the Cleveland Indians. With such little news, really only the Mets and Toronto Blue Jays have been consistently paired as landing spots for Lindor in a potential trade.

It’s not just the Cleveland Indians that have been inactive this offseason, but all of baseball. A trade involving Francisco Lindor seemed all but certain at the conclusion of the season, but the activity has come to a screeching halt of late.

While the odds of a Lindor trade before the start of the season seem to be decreasing just a bit, the thought of trading him eventually still seems inevitable. Perhaps the Cleveland Indians want to wait to see if his value goes up once the season is for sure happening or think they can get more value in the middle of the season.

Regardless of when the trade becomes closer to reality, the New York Mets should be a team that immediately comes up in conversations. Recent success hasn’t exactly been associated with the Mets, but with new ownership the team is looking for an immediate turnaround and what better way than adding one of the best players available in Francisco Lindor.

The barrier for the Mets will be ensuring that they have the assets to make the trade happen. While they have intriguing prospects, most either play positions that aren’t a current need for the Tribe or won’t be ready for the majors for a few seasons. The key will be piecing together the right players to not only interest the Indians, but have the best offer on the table for the star shortstop.

While there are endless combinations of players that could be assembled, these three seem to be the best bet for the New York Mets to land Francisco Lindor from the Cleveland Indians.

Cleveland Indians add immediate help

If the New York Mets are trading for Francisco Lindor, then it will be rather difficult for the Cleveland Indians to pry away any of their top tier major league players. Those players will be key in the team’s success, so parting with them doesn’t make much sense. Luckily, Brandon Nimmo and Andres Gimenez are expendable enough to make the deal happen.

The name that Tribe fans want to see out of the Mets is Dominic Smith, but the odds of that are slim. Smith has plenty of years left of arbitration and just isn’t a piece that New York will want to part with. However, his outburst makes moving Nimmo seem less strenuous to the team.

Nimmo has taken a bit longer to adapt to the majors than he was expected to, but that could fit perfectly into this new plan the Indians are using that resembles the Rays. This past season was one of his best yet statistically, but he was overshadowed by Smith. He could easily solidify another outfield position for Cleveland, covering a big need.

As for Gimenez, he only debuted this past year but showed promise. As a utility infielder, he appeared in 49 games and was able to slash .263/.333/.398 while tallying three home runs and eight stolen bases.

In the long-run he would probably turn into a Mike Aviles, Mike Freeman type do-it-all player for the Tribe, but in the short-term he could cover second or short while prospects like Gabriel Arias and Tyler Freeman progress through the minors.

The Cleveland Indians build for the future.

If the Cleveland Indians should decide that they want prospects for the future from the New York Mets, then the odds of Francisco Lindor landing in the Big Apple definitely go up. While they don’t have recognizable names in the minors, they have more to offer from that pool than their current major league roster.

For starters, the Indians land Francisco Alvarez, the No. 2 prospects in the Mets’ organization. Catcher prospects don’t always pan out, so adding another top level prospect at the position is a good idea here. At only 19, there will be a good amount of time before Alvarez is ready, but his potential is high.

Secondly, the Indians land Isaiah Greene, the No. 10 prospect for New York. The Mets’ second round pick in the 2020 MLB Draft out of high school, there isn’t much scouting on Greene against professional talent. However, the upside is still there.

The third player coming to Cleveland here is infielder Jaylen Palmer, who comes in at No. 19 on the Mets’ prospect list. Just 20-years old, Palmer rounds out a young trio of players and hasn’t played above rookie ball.

I’d be shocked if this is the deal that lands Lindor, but there just isn’t much for the Mets to offer the Indians and that comes from all angles that could attempt to try.