3 reasons why the Mets shouldn't entertain the idea of trading Francisco Lindor

MLB Network's MLB Now show spent some time Tuesday on a topic that is sure to get fans of the New York Mets talking. While most Mets fans have been worried about the possibility of Pete Alonso being traded, host Brian Kenny suggested that the Mets should think about trading a different star, shortstop Francisco Lindor.

During his conversation with former Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd, Kenny wondered aloud whether the Mets and president of baseball operations David Stearns should look to move on from Lindor if they could find a willing trade partner.

Much of Kenny's argument centered around the money still owed to Lindor, which is admittedly sizeable. Including this year, Lindor has eight years and $256 million remaining on the 10-year, $321 million extension he signed in 2021. Kenny also downplayed Lindor's hitting stats since joining the Mets, despite the protestations of O'Dowd, who pointed out, much to Kenny's continued disbelief, that Citi Field is an extremely unfriendly park for hitters. Kenny broached the question, but didn't seem to have done the homework required to come to an informed conclusion.

For many reasons, the Mets would be crazy to trade Lindor. Let's get into three of them now, while hoping that Stearns and Steve Cohen agree.

1) The Mets need Francisco Lindor's leadership

Lindor has gotten off to an awful start this year, but even when he's not hitting, he's still extremely valuable to the Mets. His glove is still among the best in the game, but even more important than that is the leadership he provides in the clubhouse.

Lindor is a persistently positive presence on a team, and in a market, that doesn't normally allow that. The media in New York can be ruthless, especially when a player is slumping, but Lindor brings a smile to the ballpark every day. That may sound quaint, but it's part of the reason the Mets have stayed afloat after an 0-5 start.

Positivity begets positivity, which may be why Mets fans took the nearly unheard-of step of giving Lindor a standing ovation three weeks ago to show their support through his struggles. Phillies fans overcame their own reputation to do the same last year for a struggling Trea Turner, and it worked.

Lindor's ovation was spearheaded in part by Cohen, which shows that if the Mets owner is still supporting Lindor through this rough spell (and he's the one signing his checks, after all), shouldn't the rest of us?

Lindor is beloved by his teammates. You can see it in every interaction on the field and in the locker room. Take that away and you might as well push the reset button on the whole team and start a multi-year rebuild. And no Brian Kenny, the Mets shouldn't do that.

3) Any fantasy player could tell you that you don't sell low, and Lindor's value is cratered at the moment

Put aside the financial impact of trying to trade Lindor. Let's just look at it from a pure asset value standpoint. Lindor is hitting below the Mendoza Line through 30 games. Even if a team was willing to bet that he'd positively regress back to his career mean stats, would they be willing to give up anything of real value to take that chance? No way.

Lindor's slow start has ruined his value, and David Stearns is too smart to give him away for (figurative) pennies on the dollar. Instead, the smarter play is to trust that Lindor will find his way. This is a guy that won a Silver Slugger just last year, a guy that has received MVP votes each of the past two years. His talent didn't just magically vanish at the age of 30.

Lindor is one of the most durable players in the league. He's missed only three games in the last two seasons. His defense is still Gold Glove-caliber. He's shown signs of life since receiving that standing ovation, with 18 hits in his last 17 games, including a four-hit, two-homer explosion just a week ago in San Francisco.

To bring it back to Kenny and his half-baked, devil's advocate hot take, what I found hilarious is that as he tried to sell O'Dowd on the idea that the Mets should trade Lindor, a graphic ran on the right side of the screen with the 10 best shortstops in baseball. Lindor was No. 2 on that list, behind only reigning World Series MVP Corey Seager. If money is no object and there's only one guy in the league that's better, what are we even talking about?

Lindor is going to be fine, and the Mets are a lot better with him than without him, even when he's slumping. Let's just be grateful that after an 0-5 start, with Lindor and Brandon Nimmo struggling to find themselves at the plate, and with Kodai Senga and Francisco Alvarez on the shelf with injuries, the Mets have managed to scrap their way to a .500 record through 30 games. This is a dangerous thing to say as a Mets fan, but things are only going to get better from here.