Mets Trade Rumors: Indians asking for Jeff McNeil in Francisco Lindor trade talks

According to recent New York Mets trade rumors, the insistence by the Cleveland Indians to include Jeff McNeil in any trade for Francisco Lindor has put an end to negotiations.

The Cleveland Indians are likely going to trade Francisco Lindor as soon as this week. According to recent New York Mets trade rumors involving Lindor, Jeff McNeil is the one player the Tribe insists on acquiring in the deal.

Fortunately, Brodie Van Wagenen has been quite insistent about not trading McNeil. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, BVW’s persistence in keeping McNeil has led the Mets to bow out of trade discussions.

Rejoice, Flushing Faithful. For once, there are Mets trade rumors we can all feel a little happy about—at least I think so.

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Seeing Lindor’s name appear in any Mets trade rumors will surely get fans excited. He’s one of the best shortstops in baseball and would undoubtedly improve the roster in 2020. However, there’s a price to pay for his services. Apparently, the Flying Squirrel would need to get involved in any trade.

Missing out on the Lindor sweepstakes should barely put a dent in the hearts of Mets fans. The team already has a shortstop, albeit of lesser quality. Amed Rosario is still growing, though. With any luck, he becomes a player near Lindor’s level.

About 380 days ago, McNeil was one of the players we thought we nearly lost in the now infamous trade with the Seattle Mariners for Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz.

Boy, did the Mets dodge a bullet there.

This past year, McNeil proved his two months with the big league team in 2018 was no fluke. He’s a pure-hitter who can hit over .300 with ease. In 2019, he added more defensive versatility and power to his arsenal as well.

At this stage of his career, I believe it should take a lot to swing a deal for McNeil. He may not have the same pedigree as Lindor, but he’s an incredibly valuable asset the Mets would be wise to hold onto. He was an All-Star in 2019 and surely has more Midsummer Classic opportunities in his future.

When the offseason began, many were hopeful the Mets would swing big and complete a blockbuster deal. Now nearing the end of December, I’m having my doubts.

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It’s not a bad thing either. When you swing hard, you often miss. In the case of these Mets trade rumors which name McNeil as a requirement in any deal for Lindor, I’d be happy to say “no thank you” and show the Indians the door.