Guardians fans need to tread lightly with Mets-Francisco Lindor trade rumors

Normally at this point in the MLB season, it starts to be pretty easy to figure out which teams are going to be buyers and which are going to be sellers. That hasn’t been the case this season, however, as more teams are trying to thread the needle between both thanks to the expanded postseason and uncompetitive American League. 

But we got confirmation over the All-Star Break of at least one team that’s going to be sellers when the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported the Mets are “willing to consider” trades for almost everyone on their roster outside of Juan Soto, Carson Benge, A.J. Ewing, Nolan McLean and Christian Scott.

One notable name missing from that list is former Guardians shortstop Francisco Lindor, who is in the midst of a disastrous season with the Mets but is still owed $174 million through the 2031 season. 

While a reunion with Lindor is a fun thought, it shouldn’t be anything more than that. Not only does he have a bloated contract, but he also has a full no-trade clause.

Plus it seems like the Mets would need to be blown away to trade him. It’s hard to believe any team would be able to “win” a trade for Lindor, and it’s harder to believe the Guardians would have any interest in acquiring him. 

But that doesn’t mean the Mets don’t have players who the Guardians should check in on. 

The Mets have plenty of trade targets outside of Francisco Lindor

The biggest one of the Mets’ trade chips who should be on Cleveland’s radar is starter Freddy Peralta. Although he’s in the middle of a disappointing season (sensing a trend?), he's just a year removed from being an All-Star and is making just $8 million this season. 

He’s also a rental, which means he wouldn’t throw too much of a wrench in the Guardians’ long-term pitching plans. 

They also have a bevy of relievers who could interest the Guardians, starting with former Yankees nemesis Luke Weaver, who is in the midst of another strong season. 

Weaver has a 2.03 ERA in 40 innings this season, and hadn’t allowed a run since the end of April prior to giving up a solo home run to Trea Turner on Thursday.

He may be a bit more expensive given he’s under contract next season at $12.5 million, but he could be the piece the Guardians are missing in their bullpen. 

The Mets also have some cheaper options available, namely their reliever trio of A.J. Minter, Brooks Raley and Huascar Brazobán. 

Raley and Minter are both southpaws in the midst of strong seasons while Brazobán has become a consistent leverage arm. Of the three, Brazobán would cost the most given he’s the only one who has team control remaining after this season. 

Coming into the season the Mets looked like locks to make the postseason while the Guardians seemed like a bit of a wild card. Now those roles have reversed, and Cleveland could be the biggest beneficiary from those changing roles. 

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