The Mets may be staring at a Francisco Lindor decision that reaches far beyond Queens, with ESPN’s Jeff Passan naming the Blue Jays, Yankees, Red Sox and Braves as the best fits if New York ever decides to move him.
That kind of list changes the conversation fast. If the Mets are truly looking to trim salary and shake up the roster over the next few weeks, Lindor becomes the kind of name that could draw a huge market - even if a Yankees pursuit would be the most eye-catching version of that scenario.
Passan’s read on Lindor is that the shortstop’s season hasn’t been as rough as it looks on the surface. He pointed to the luck element behind the slower start and said Lindor’s expected wOBA last year and this year are almost the same, with this season actually two points better. He also noted that the physical tools are no longer the headline: “His arm strength, sprint speed and bat speed are all average to below and have been for a couple of years.
“The ability to be good at everything while playing an elite shortstop has been the key to his career, and those things are still alive, even if a bit diminished so far this year. It's very likely we'll see positive regression from the rest of the season, and I'm not even worried about the next few years, but mapping his career out until 2031 is a different question altogether. Best fits: Blue Jays, Yankees, Red Sox, Braves,” Jeff Passan of ESPN wrote.
For the Mets, the appeal is obvious if those teams really do get involved. A bidding war would be the ideal outcome for a club that needs to clear money and improve wherever it can. Trading a player of Lindor’s caliber is never a simple call, but if the market gets loud enough, it becomes easier to understand why New York would even consider it.
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