Mets: Three Francisco Lindor trade ideas from a Cleveland fan

From FanSided’s Cleveland Indians blog, Away Back Gone, come three trade proposals for the New York Mets involving shortstop Francisco Lindor.

Over in Ohio, Cleveland Indians fans are waiting for two things. One is the new nickname coming to the city. The other, probably more immediate, is what happens with star shortstops Francisco Lindor. We’ve covered Lindor from a New York Mets perspective plenty on Rising Apple this winter. Over at Away Back Gone, FanSided’s Indians website, writer Kyle Edmond has some thoughts on what a deal between these two teams could look like.

It has already been made known that the Indians would like to make a deal with the Mets. New York has a lot to offer. As Edmond examined, there are three different types of trades that are possible.

Although none of these trades might be perfect, I think it’s a good starting point.

Mets trade two big leaguers for Francisco Lindor

The first trade proposed can fall into the category of “immediate help” for Cleveland. They get back two guys with big league experience in exchange for Lindor.

This is a pretty basic trade. The Indians get an outfielder, Brandon Nimmo, and also pick up the obvious replacement for Lindor, Andres Gimenez.

There’s not much to dislike about this trade from a Mets perspective. It seems the club may need to deal away Nimmo or one of their other top trade candidates at some point this winter. Why not do so in this deal if it helps get it done?

Some may hesitate at the idea of trading Gimenez away. He was an exciting player in 2020. I imagine there are some out there that would prefer to see Amed Rosario’s name in this trade proposed by Edmond.

I can’t really say much negative about this trade. There’s as much of a chance for both teams to come away as the winner or loser. As with any deal involving Lindor, the key is to sign him to an extension immediately.

I’m not saying I would make this trade. However, if it was proposed to me, I’m not going to slam down the phone and laugh at Mike Chernoff.

Mets trade away Dominic Smith to land Francisco Lindor

Finally, we arrive at the final trade from Away Back Gone. This one is classified as their blockbuster deal. It involves two big league names from the Mets.

This trade isn’t much different from the first. The only difference is we swap out Brandon Nimmo for Dominic Smith and the Mets also land outfielder Bradley Zimmer.

It’s hard to know exactly what the Mets have planned for Smith in 2021. Without the DH, things get fishier.

Zimmer’s presence in this deal does nothing for me. He’s a lifetime .224 hitter with only minimal experience in the big leagues over the last four seasons. The Mets have little use for him. If this deal is going to happen, New York needs to get a lot more from Cleveland.

This could be a potential starting point for a different trade. Even with Smith and Gimenez packaged together, I think the two teams could come to some sort of an agreement.

One player on Cleveland’s roster I have interest in is starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco. If the Indians were willing to include him, we can move a little closer toward a deal. It wouldn’t be enough, though. Smith is an emerging potential star. The Mets must get something valuable in return for him in any deal they may strike.

Which trade is best for the Mets?

Between the three trades, the first one feels the most reasonable to me. The Mets get a superstar shortstop and all it takes is to give up a young infielder and an outfielder with potentially less playing time in the near future.

Lindor’s presence on the Mets moves Rosario to the bench. The loss of Nimmo will be felt, but it opens up left field for Smith to potentially play a lot more.

The one trouble with this deal is that Nimmo is nearer to free agency than Cleveland might prefer. The whole point of trading Lindor is to save money.

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I’m beginning to think there might not be any perfect Mets trade for Lindor.