NY Mets: 3 best shortstop options to replace Francisco Lindor

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Should the New York Mets pivot away from some of their previous trade targets and look to add a shortstop? Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Hold your breath New York Mets fans. Francisco Lindor is on the IL with an oblique injury which means we’re about to go at least a few days with a shortstop combination of Luis Guillorme and Jonathan Villar.

Not so bad, is it? Guillorme and Villar have played pretty well in 2021. Lindor has been a major disappointment.

However, with an oblique injury, you never how long a player could miss. Lindor is only on the 10-day IL at the moment, but there’s good reason to believe he could miss more time and his injury could extend beyond the July 30 trade deadline. The timing is both perfect and a pain because the Mets have time to react but not enough to think things through fully.

Already in the market for a big bat, it’s possible we see the Mets pivot from looking at a third baseman on the trade market and instead talk to other front offices about their available shortstops. Luckily, there are a whole bunch of them out there.

NY Mets shortstop candidate: Trevor Story

Oddly enough, just yesterday I wrote about how Trevor Story is an imperfect fit for the Mets because of Lindor’s presence on the roster. However, the latest news involving Lindor’s injury could have them thinking otherwise.

I’m not a fan of adding a shortstop of Story’s abilities to play the position for a few weeks only to then move him somewhere else. So, I write this with a twinge of doubt and a little bit of a bad taste in my mouth—but that might just be from going to a buffet and getting my money’s worth times two on Saturday.

Story is going to be costly and rightfully so. He can do everything as well as any other shortstops. Even in a down year like 2021 for him, the Colorado Rockies shouldn’t accept anything short of a shiny package of prospects in return for him.

Not my personal favorite choice because of how messy things could get when Lindor returns, no list of the best available shortstops is complete without him.

Jul 17, 2021; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago Cubs shortstop Javier Baez (9) waits on deck against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

NY Mets shortstop candidate: Javier Baez

The Chicago Cubs are selling everyone. Will it be like the township flea market my wife read about on Facebook? We drove around the neighborhood looking at what they had on their lawns. We couldn’t tell what was trash and what was up for grabs.

The Cubs have more than litter to give away. Shortstop Javier Baez, warts and all, is seemingly available. A power hitter with no shortage of strikeouts in his arsenal, he’s yet another guy for the Mets to look at as a possible stop-gap at shortstop while Lindor is out.

Personally, I would run away from any trade involving Baez. He’s having a powerful season but not doing much else. His career OBP is right around the .300 mark. He’s a power-hitting, Gold Glove-winning, strike three-spitting option and far from my favorite choice.

One good thing about Baez is he has some more experience playing around the infield. We cannot say this about Story. When Lindor does come back, moving Baez to second base and Jeff McNeil to third base or an outfield position is one option. Or the Mets can simply move Baez to third base and start a platoon between J.D. Davis and Dominic Smith in left field. Or—do I really need to go through all of the options?

You’ve got an imagination. I’m sure it’s better than mine.

Baez strikes me as a guy who would get traded mid-year and either become a legend for his new franchise down the stretch or show up and do nothing. It’s a gut feeling. The Mets would benefit a lot more from a guy who hits with a little more average than pop. There must be one more shortstop trade candidate out there.

Jul 16, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Mets third baseman Jonathan Villar (1) gestures to the Pittsburgh Pirates dugout during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

NY Mets shortstop candidate: The field

I looked at the rest of the teams expected to sell at the trade deadline. Frankly, no one makes too much sense for the Mets.

Why is that? None are really much of an upgrade over what Guillorme and/or Villar can accomplish.

Jose Iglesias of the Los Angeles Angels intrigued me most. The problem I have there is he’d just become a bench player when Lindor is off the IL. This doesn’t help matters. Villar can outhit him and Guillorme is as good, if not better, with the glove.

Many other out-of-contention ball clubs either have young and controllable shortstops, likely making them unavailable. Then there are guys like Nick Ahmed on the Arizona Diamondbacks. He doesn’t excite me whatsoever.

Could it be that there really are only two major trade candidates for the Mets to consider at shortstop?

If pivoting away from Kris Bryant and a few other potential trade candidates for a shortstop is what the Mets have planned, it would seem to be a knee-jerk reaction. They clearly could use a big bat. It only took a game after the All-Star Break to remind us of this.

There’s a reason why the Mets signed Villar this winter: for this exact moment. After filling in admirable for a large portion of this season at third base, it’s time to now see what he can do at shortstop. And if that doesn’t work, let’s get The Great Bearded One in there every day.

Next. 3 backup plans if the Mets don't land Kris Bryant

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Sorry to disappoint you but there is no actual third trade candidate. Whether it’s Guillorme or Villar, he’s already on the payroll.

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