Francisco Lindor trade odds: Indians intend to deal shortstop; Mets, Angels, Cardinals and Phillies are favorites
Cleveland reportedly will trade All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor before Opening Day 2021.
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The 2021 Major League Baseball season is scheduled to begin on April Fool's Day, but it's no joke that the Cleveland Indians will not have their best player by then. USA Today's Bob Nightengale was the first to report Thursday that the cost-conscious Tribe intend to trade superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor this offseason. SportsLine has odds on which team will land the perennial MVP candidate and arguably best player at his position.
It's not a shock that the Indians are doing this. They have a habit of trading guys sooner rather than later to get top value – they have recently done the same with the likes of pitchers Mike Clevinger, Trevor Bauer and Corey Kluber.
The 26-year-old Lindor enters the final year of his contract in 2021 and there's simply no way the Indians will be able to afford the $350 million-plus that Lindor will demand and surely get. Lindor is expected to earn around $21 million next year via salary arbitration.
Better to trade Lindor now than risk him getting hurt/struggling early in the 2021 season and then bringing back much less in a package. Before the 2018 season, the Baltimore Orioles decided not to trade star Manny Machado before his free-agent season, and the Birds got much less than they would have when they traded Machado to the Dodgers at the '18 Trade Deadline.
Lindor wasn't quite the same in the 2020 coronavirus-shortened 60-game regular season in hitting .258 with eight homers and 27 RBIs, but he will still bring a massive haul back in trade as a four-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glover and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner. Realistically, only clubs planning to contend in 2021 and with deep pockets will land him.
Both New York and both Los Angeles teams clearly fit into that category. Can you imagine the loaded Dodgers adding Lindor to what they already have? L.A. is stacked with top prospects and could simply move current shortstop Corey Seager to third base. As it is, the Dodgers are +450 favorites at William Hill sportsbook to repeat as World Series champions in 2021.
The Angels' starting shortstop, Andrelton Simmons, is a free agent. How does a lineup with Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon, Shohei Ohtani and Lindor sound? The Halos don't have a new general manager yet, though. Then again, it's not likely a trade happens for months.
The Mets are expected to make a few big splashes this offseason now that they have the richest owner in baseball in recently approved Steve Cohen. He has indicated a willingness to spend when many other teams aren't willing due to the pandemic, and Cohen likely wouldn't balk at an immediate long-term extension for Lindor.
The Yankees had Gleyber Torres at shortstop last season, but he struggled so much defensively that they could move him to second and opt to not re-sign free agent DJ LaMahieu even though he won the 2020 MLB batting title. More likely, though, is that LaMahieu re-signs and the Bombers chase pitching.
Philadelphia's 2020 starting shortstop was Didi Gregorius, but he's a free agent. So is star catcher JT Realmuto, so the Phillies might concentrate more on re-signing him over landing Lindor.
The Cardinals have some money coming off the books in the likes of Kolten Wong and Adam Wainwright. The Cards could shift current shortstop Paul DeJong to second in place of Wong, and St. Louis definitely needs more offense.
Would the Indians trade Lindor to state rival Cincinnati? The Reds inquired about Lindor last year and the Indians apparently have a lot of interest in young Reds outfielder Nick Senzel.
Via SportsLine oddsmakers: Which team will trade for Francisco Lindor?
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