The New York Mets introduced new shortstop Francisco Lindor to the media today via a zoom call. The video has been provided here by Newsday.
Of course, one of the topics discussed early in the conversation was the possibility of a long-term extension. Lindor and his representation at SportsMeter have yet to begin contract negotiations with the Mets. That said, Lindor isn’t against the possibility of staying in New York long-term. Per the Athletic’s Tim Britton (via Twitter), Lindor said, “I live life day by day. I’m extremely happy and excited about what’s happening right now, but I haven’t really sat down and talked to anybody (about an extension). I have never been against an extension…. We’ll see what happens.”
Lindor made clear, however, that if he does sign a new deal, he expects to do so before the seasons begins, per Britton and others. That’s been Lindor’s policy in the past, and he does not intend to change his stance this year. With spring training a little more than a month away, the Mets and Lindor have enough time to hammer out an extension, but they have a smaller window than the Mets might prefer.
Lindor was acquired last week from the Indians after Cleveland failed to reach an extension with their star shortstop. Lindor acknowledged that both sides made a good effort to get an extension done, but it just didn’t happen, per the Athletic’s Zack Meisel (via Twitter). The Indians offer never got as high as $300MM, and any extension Lindor signs will certainly cross that threshold. Despite the breakdown in negotiations and the eventual trade, Lindor had only positive things to say about his time in Cleveland, notes Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY (via Twitter).
i wouldnt be shocked if he pulled a Realmuto and wants to hit the open market unless he gets blown away with an offer.
Won’t negotiate during the season? I never really understood that. Your agent does almost all the negotiations.
Don’t you want to find out more about the city and the organization before being locked in? That may take a few weeks of actually playing for them.
Oh, chit. I want Gimenez back.
As an Indians’ fan, I’d be glad to give him back to you. In fact, I’d be glad to undo this entire trade. It’s a warm, steamy pile from our perspective. We’re told they’re “retooling” and they intend to remain competitive. This trade does not do so.
lololol yes it does. it provides is with a MLB ready SS along w a great prospects for down the road.
we need to focus on our outfield and bullpen.
I’m not happy Lindor is gone, but I’m happy the distraction is over. we all knew it was going to happen.
Like the Bruce Harper distraction was to Washington during his last year in Washington.
The only sad thing was having to give them Carrasco to get anything of value for Lindor. Lindor *might* have fetched Gimenez and one of the prospects on his own, maybe, but the truth is, no team was clamoring for the right to pay Lindor $22m to post an OPS+ of 102 (the same as Gimenez posted by the way) .
I’m glad the page has turned on Lindor. I grew weary of his sad AB’s when it mattered over recent years and in the postseason. Finally the melodrama is over and we can move on. I will miss Carlos, though; when he was on (which was more often than not) he was a pleasure to watch pitch.
cdav45: You get 6 yrs of Gimenez (to fill ss at very low cost) who was an above avg player as a 21 yr old rookie, plus Rosario should plug the hole at 2B for the next 3 yrs + the 2 kids just starting their careers is a pretty big haul for 1 yr of Lindor (who already turned down an extension over $200,000,000.00) and 2-3 yrs of Carrasco.
This is the truth, but few Tribe fans want to accept it, especially guys like cdav45 who are notorious complainers and expect Cleveland to be able to operate in the same manner as the big markets. No matter how many great trades the Tribe makes which only look better and better as the years roll by, guys like cdav45 insist on roasting the team whenever they make a move like this. It’s almost as if the Tribe hasn’t been a consistent winner all this time, eh?
NY is going to have their hands full with Syndergaard and Conforto due to hit free agency next offseason.
Well, if they intend to keep them around.
They should have traded Thor 2 seasons ago
You’re right. They should have. But that ship has sailed.
This is not uncommon. If I remember correctly Piazza signed after the season. If it works out for both sides I don’t think Cohen will have a problem paying to keep Lindor.
If the Mets really want Lindor back and there is a notion that Cohen will pay up, Lindor’s playing with house money. let Cohen put his money where his mouth is or he’ll walk and get other huge offers.
Of course Cohen won’t have a problem paying him, that’s not the point. The real problem becomes when he realizes there’s no direct relationship between wins and paying a guy $35 million a year. Here’s hoping he never wises up. Small markets depend on big markets acting stupid.y. The real fear for smart small market operations isn’t the money that’s arrayed against them, it’s when wisdom accompanies it.
Lindor is a great player but he’s not a $300M+ player like a Betts or Machado. I think he’s more on par to Rendon. And of course he doesn’t want to negotiate during the season, he’s not quite as good as he wants to portray he is.
Lindor is better than machado. Betts I agree is better.
That is very debatable. Machado is really good.
lol Lindor > Machado
Machado career War 39.8. Lindor career War 28.7. OBP is .337 to .346. Machado certainly gives you more run production. Both are really good players that can be compared, but you cannot definitively state that Lindor is better than Machado. I don’t buy it, and I love Lindor.
Machado also had more than 1500 plate appearances under his belt before Lindor made his debut. If you look at their career fWAR/600 plate appearances, Lindor has a career 4.9 mark and Machado has a 4.4 mark. In terms of wRC+, wOBA and OPS, they’re almost identical hitters.
@mlb1225 definitely a factor, but i still don’t flat-out say Lindor is better than Machado. I wouldn’t say the opposite either. They’re in the same boat IMO. Both great defenders who can really hit.
Personally, I’d take Lindor. They’re very close offensively and defensively, but Lindor is more consistent and is a better base runner.
That’s a fair statement. I prefer Lindor as well. I just wouldn’t stat it as fact. Too close.
Maybe you guys should look at their numbers the last 5 years. I’d take machado. Even in frankies mvp type season in 18’ machado had just as good if not better offensive numbers while switching leagues. And manny ain’t no slouch on defense, frankies got machado on age and a premium position but machado can play SS if needed to a very respectable level while still mashing.
Which isn’t to say I don’t think Lindor is good either. They are borth $300M+ players in a normal market.
Last three years he ranks 8th in fWAR. He’s a fantastic defender at a premium position and is a decent hitter as well. Not to mention he just turned 27.
Rendon is making 35 million a year.
In other words, give me $300 million now or I’m hitting the market following the 2021 season.
Hopefully for Mets case, it won’t be wasted money. He will seek a huge contract and deserves one. Sometimes people let that ruin their career
I would wait on him, what if he doesn’t gel in NY or God forbid he gets hurts, than you’re stuck, especially when the Mets have Conforto and Syndergaard to pay, unless they try to trade Syndergaard BUT in my opinion when Syndergaard comes back I would look into trading Stroman I don’t think he’s worth $20 mil or so going forward.
If Lindor walks I’d be very surprised. Some of you need to learn who Cohen is.
We don’t really know exactly who he is yet, though. He may be willing to spend, yet still realize that 300 million plus is too much for any one player.
We know exactly who he is- a white collar criminal that owns a garbage franchise with a long history of bad moves and losing.
lolzmets You are the most negative commenter on here, but I fully admit, I found this hilarious. I don’t agree, but it’s still awesome.
Lol
C’mon, @metsfan22.
You act like you had lunch with him this afternoon. The reality is you – like all of us – have no idea how he’ll be as an owner.
I predict he’ll spend his first year or so. Then spending will regress to a point a bit above the Wilpons. This is because I actually have looked into how he runs his financial empire. Not to mention that’s SOP with new ownership groups. $100 says I’m right, man.
Trust me. We all understand you hero worship the guy. But do yourself a favor & stop pretending you have some inside knowledge. You do not. That also is something we all understand, as well.
🙂
Every new owner comes in beating his chest and says he’s going to spend, spend, spend to be a winner. Then he begins to realize this doesn’t correlate with anything, and get sick and tired of paying guys $30m a year to hit .258.. If Cohen is smart, he’ll begin to realize this and start acting like every other owner.
Please explain why this isn’t true.
That would kinda suck if he doesn’t sign the extension with the Mets, gave up their future MIF prospects for him. Maybe Frankie didn’t truly want to go to NYM but it’s getting him out of Cleveland for now. Guess we’ll wait and see.
Maybe it’s just me but I’m kinda getting deja vu with the Mets new ownership and when the clippers got their new owner. Lots of money to spend, very outspoken, got some big name players through trades and will get another big name though FA or possibly picking up Bryant from the cubs that amounts to a ton of hype. I personally still don’t put them on par with La or SD but I think if they sign springer they’re definitely the favorites out of the east on paper, still gotta play the games and assuming no one gets a major injury.
The opportunities for marketing revenue in ny are probably quite a bit better than Ohio. The team around him is already very good and should only get better as I believe Cohen continually acquires whatever pieces he needs. Probably still another 2 pretty big pieces to add in the next month. They may even depend on how quickly Lindor extends. There has to be an eye on future team payroll which is unknown until Lindor is extended.
I’m assuming the Mets would want to extend Lindor but if they can’t work one out, Mets will have a plethora of FA SS options next offseason.
Not a Mets fan, but I hope they sign him to an extension. I like when a team tries to turn things around and makes serious upgrades. That said, I doubt he signs before ST. There’s just so much uncertainty with the new CBA coming up that it’s hard to envision many teams offering huge deals, even to bona fide stars.
This may sound crass, but here’s hoping he never sees $300 million…he should be thinking about security NOW not after he gets hurt. He is simply being foolish along with his agent.
If the talk of Fernando Tatis Jr. getting $320m with multiple out-outs when he’s 4 years out from FA and has an injury history are indeed true, then that can’t be good for NYM’s chances.
After 2021 Baez,Correa,Seager and Story are all FAs. Supply and demand should tell Lindor to pay very close attention to a Mets extension offer.
Should also tell the Mets that extending him really isn’t necessary
Trade no so great if he doesn’t sign
I’m thinking Lindor believes he is top of the class when it comes to the other soon to be Free Agent SS. One look at Seager’s and Correra’s medical files and No Team will commit big numbers on a long term deal. Haven’t studied Story’s park adjusted numbers, but Baez looks like he is the only competition Lindor has. Lindor is a special talent but I don’t think his skill set continues to improve after age 34 season. Ask the Tigers how they feel about Cabrera?
I’d be surprised if he accepts an extension for anything less than $350m.
Ha-ha-ha-ha…I can’t wait to see the team willing to choke on THAT!
9yrs/101mm
He already turned down double the money already from Cleveland. WHy would he settle for half of that now?
Because the Indians, like Chippy Chipperson, are B-R-O-K-E.
There’s going to be significant pressure from the MLBPA for Lindor to accept nothing short of a record-setting, blockbuster deal, be it now or through free agency. Lindor was prepared to do just that in Cleveland. That certainly won’t change in NY, especially with the wealthiest man in all MLB a new owner there. The Mets just traded for Lindor with the full intention of signing him. Lindor’s negotiating position is significantly better than it has been since his career started. A 10/300 won’t do it. Not at his age, skill, position, his brand, the trade, the NY market, and Cohen the owner.
Lindor has been prepared to walk, and play out 2021. Add in the mystery of a new team and the media spotlight in NY, and I don’t see him lowering his demands. He’s going to increase them, knowing the Mets will feel compelled to match them.
12/37.5. $450M.
Lordy, for a guy who hit .258 this past year?! Who has hit .190 w/RISP over his last 200+ games? What are you smoking?
If Cohen signs him for that, it will soon sober up Stevie from ever doing THAT again.
If you don’t think 10/300 gets it done this year, what do you think another .250 season with an injury here or there gets him next year? That’s the risk.
A year from now, owners will be looking at his 2020 year and, if 2021 is similar, his financially leverage will be much less than it is right now.
I think everyone should wait to find out what the new CBA will be. Remember after this season baseball owners and players must agree to a new CBA. That’s why talk of long term contracts and how much teams have to spend long term is almost ridiculous. We are facing the potential for a lockout or strike. I think this is a factor in this years slower market.
He looks so good in a Mets uniform, and MLB needs an international player to be the “face of baseball” and continue to encourage diversity like the NFL and NBA.
Lindor is ready and willing to be that person after Trout has repeatedly refused to promote the sport or take a bigger role. Unfortunately, Trout’s “aww shucks, gee whiz” Jim Thome-like kindness is kind of a disadvantage to younger fans getting into the game.
The face of baseball needs to be a player with a little more swag and flashy play. Players like Lindor, Tim Anderson, and Fernando Tatis need to be promoted EVERYWHERE! Baseball can and should do this right.
I’m all for players getting what they deserve but these contracts are becoming absurd. Almost half a billion on a player like trout is disgusting imo. let that sink in to run, catch and hit a ball. I bet a lot of players from the 70’s through the early 2000’s are kicking them selves wishing they played in today’s markets( pre covid) Guys like smolts, Seaver, Maddux and countless stars would be multi millionaires get insane contract in their prime
The money is based upon how much money can the player earn your franchise while in your uniform. It is an entertainment business just like movies, TV, and the music business. You get paid to put butts in the seats or to watch the player play on TV, to buy merchandise related to the player, and the like. If a player will allow your team to make a profit over what the player earns, then the player is worth the money. However, as @metsie1 said above, with the new CBA on the horizon, potential strikes, lockouts, and Covid-19 looming over everything, no way to say at the moment how much any player would be worth to a team to be in their uniform. If fans are not allowed in and viewership continues to dwindle,, teams will not be so willing to keep paying out huge contracts. If this were pre Pandemic, and fans could be in the stands with no restrictions, Lindor would be worth a huge contract like Machado got because he would sell a lot of tickets and merchandise for a team. The stars in the past unfortunately did not have the opportunities to share in the profits that today’s teams make. No one had huge local TV deals to boost inc9ome to pay players. They guys that you mentioned would all be paid huge money if they were in their primes now. Those names you mentions all made a ton more than guys like Drysdale, Kofax, Mays, Aaron, etc. because the finances of the game even that short of time prior were even less. The teams were dependent on ticket sales at that point for most of their revenue.
I think he deserves and will get 10 years/$375M. That takes him through his age 35 season.
I don’t see how he could get much more or the market wouldn’t push it there were he to hit free agency and I don’t see how teams haven’t become wary of those last 3-5 seasons after a guy hits 34-35 years old.
Not saying that every team in baseball wouldn’t be extremely happy with him as their starting short stop, but the market seems pretty set for a player of his caliber. It’s really about years moreso than dollars, right?
Normally he’d earn around $27.5M in 2021 (pro rated), and he’d command around $35-36M per season on the open market and he’ll be 36 at the end of a 9 year free agent deal, which is about as old as guys get and are still effective at his position and with his kind of offensive numbers, so just combine those and give him that, plus a fatter than usual signing bonus to account for the deflated pro rated salaries in 2021 and possibly 2022, just like Mookie Betts.
I think he gets a $25M signing bonus to provide him with guaranteed money that solidifies his wealth, then a $26M salary for the season, minus whatever may get pro rated, unless the league or individual teams figure out ways to pay the full salaries of their players. Seems like Steve Cohen can do this.
After that you give him $36M per season over 9 years and call it a day.
Absolutely ridiculous to pay Lindor that when there are other equally viable alternatives. Do you want to win games or just beat your chest over how much money you can set on fire?
If Lindor was hands down the best shortstop in the game, he could write his own ticket. I believe over the last three years that he ranks out around #5 at short. His big numbers are based on the fact that yes, he’s very good, but also that he was leading the league in plate appearances. It’s unrealistic to think that stays true for the next 5 -7 years. I think he gets a front loaded contract similar to Harper, maybe heavier in incentives.
Seems like a realistic discussion. If we are going to talk extension, here is the deadline. Basically, if you want me, come get me before the season starts. Ok Mets, get it done if you don’t want him for just one season. You have two months, it should only take 10 days.
Simply no way that trade gets made with no “tampering” and talk behind scenes for longer term…but Lindor is smart and was prob prepped well to act like the subject has not even been brought up.