NY Mets: Francisco Lindor trade is the biggest since Mike Piazza

Trading for Francisco Lindor is the biggest trade in New York Mets history since the acquisition of Mike Piazza.

It has still yet to sink in. This can’t be real life, can it? The New York Mets don’t do this sort of thing. So again, they did what? I’ll tell you what they did. The Amazins’ traded for arguably the best shortstop in the game, and a top 10 player in the sport, who has just begun to enter his prime at 27 years old.

Usually, these types of players are traded to the Dodgers, the Yankees, or hell even the Padres! The Mets are usually left on the sidelines, either due to a lack of talent in their farm system, or the inability to stomach signing a player long term. On the rare occasion that they’ve stuck their feet into the big boy pool, they traded a potential superstar prospect for an aging second baseman who was coming off of his first PED suspension, and a shaky closer who has yet to look like himself prior to the trade.

That was when Jeff Wilpon and Brodie Van Wagenen were calling the shots. With Steve Cohen, Sandy Alderson, and Jared Porter at the helm, the Mets made a smart trade that allowed them to hang on to their top prospects while bringing back a fantastic player in Lindor and a very reliable arm in Carlos Carrasco.

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Throughout their franchise history, the Mets have traded for several superstars such as Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter, and the previously mentioned Piazza. Since Piazza, New York has also acquired stars such as Johan Santana and Yoenis Cespedes, but neither of them compares to Lindor.

Santana, who is best remembered for throwing the first and only no-hitter in franchise history, had one really good year in 2008, followed by two decent years before injuries derailed the rest of his career.

Cespedes, who was the main catalyst behind the Mets division title in 2015, had another really good year in 2016 before he also began to succumb to injuries that he was never able to shake before leaving the team during the 2020 season.

Lindor will play the entire 2021 season as a 27-year-old, meaning it’s fair to assume he has at least 6-8 more years of elite production left in the tank. He is universally respected around the game and brings needed leadership that should help take some of the load off of young slugger Pete Alonso, who is looking to bounce back after a sophomore slump.

To compare the trades for Piazza and Lindor, Piazza was 29 years old upon his arrival to Queens and was productive enough to be named an All-Star every year but one from 1999-2005. The only year he didn’t make the mid-summer classic was 2003 when he only appeared in 68 games due to injury. Including 1998, the year he came to New York, Piazza gave the Mets seven years of above-average production at the catcher position.

Assuming the Mets are able to sign Lindor long term, he should age even better than Piazza considering he’s younger than Piazza was and plays less of a demanding position.

It’s most likely going to cost the Mets somewhere in the ballpark of 10 years $300 million to keep Lindor in Queens for the long haul, and although it didn’t cost nearly as much, the Mets were in a similar situation with Piazza, who was also entering his walk year when the club traded for him. The Mets were able to retain their new superstar back then and it would be extremely surprising if they were unable to do the same with Frankie.

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It’s fair to expect that the bright smiling, uber-talented, switch-hitting shortstop will be in Queens for years to come, and this acquisition will be remembered as one of the greatest in franchise history. So, soak it in Mets fans, and get used to it. This is just the beginning.