The Francisco Lindor chatter has turned into the kind of rumor that can send both New York fan bases spinning, and it has the Yankees dreaming about a move that still feels like a long shot. According to WFAN legend Mike Francesa, there is a longstanding feud between Juan Soto and Lindor, and if that tension is real, the Mets shortstop could be the one who ends up on the move.
"I don't think there's any question the Mets are going to try very, very hard to trade Lindor," Francesa said on his podcast.
Francesa doubled down on that idea, saying he was hearing the issue started early after Soto arrived in Queens. He said, "Someone who I trust very much told me this started when the only one who did not call him when he came to the Mets was Lindor," Francesa continued.
"And it kind of went from there/They've had their ups and downs, but I still hear it's not good. Now, Cohen addressed that when he did his interview and said, 'Oh, I hear it's much better now.'
That's not what someone's telling me. So unless they're telling me something wrong, they're telling me that it's not any better.
That's never going to be good, and it's time for Lindor to leave."
Steve Cohen has already acknowledged there was something there when he spoke with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman on their podcast, though the exact details remain murky. Francesa says his information is coming from inside the Mets.
If the Mets really decide Lindor is available, the Yankees would make for a natural landing spot in this speculative setup. The old Wilpon-era barriers to a cross-town deal are gone, and the current Mets regime has shown it is not afraid to make unpopular moves. The article points to the departures of Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso as examples of a front office that is not ruled by sentiment.
Lindor’s contract is another major piece of the puzzle. He is owed $32 million until 2031, a hefty number even in a market where Aaron Judge and Soto are clearing $40+ million AAV.
For the Yankees to get involved, it would take a real package, with prospects such as George Lombard, Dax Kilby, or Carlos Lagrange potentially heading to Flushing. The money would have to work, too.
One idea floated in the piece is an NBA-style swap that would help balance the salary side, with Carlos Rodon mentioned as a possible piece. Rodon is not an expiring contract, but the Yankees would be free of him in 2028, and the article notes that if there is no baseball season because of the lockout, his final season could be when the sport returns.
There is also the geography of the market to consider. Moving Lindor to the Yankees would keep him out of the National League, where many of baseball’s biggest spenders currently sit.
The Mets, the piece argues, would not be eager to strengthen the Dodgers, Padres, or Phillies. The Yankees might be the one club able to pay and also keep him from becoming a problem elsewhere, unless there is a sequel to the 2000 World Series.
None of this is confirmed, and even the article makes clear that Francesa’s report could be wrong. But if the Mets truly believe Lindor is the odd man out, the logic of a deal is easy to see from a Yankees perspective.
It would give the Mets a chance to reset, trim future money, and move on from tension. It would also give the Yankees a chance to fix their shortstop situation with a player who, at least on paper, fits the moment.
The only catch is that it would mean Cohen dealing the last piece of that 2024 core, the group that energized Mets fans and then left them furious. And if that happened, Joe Benigno’s heart may stop.
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