Baseball activity is invading. How not? Francisco Lindor is a Met because the Indians have decided they can’t pay him in the future, while he continues to afford the rest of a list in battle.
And within seconds – seconds after the Mets got Lindor, the mind immediately changed whether Lindor could be held back in the long run by the power of Steve Cohen’s wallet.
Cha-ching is never far away. After all, it’s a business.
But there really is a game to that business. And while the Mets are constantly on until the end of spring training to see if they can keep the shortstop, there should be some time left – especially among Mets fans -:
Francisco Lindor is in your team.
And Cohen owns your team.
So don’t worry so much if the Mets keep Lindor. The guy who signs the checks now does it with “COHEN”, not “WILPON”. That should comfort Mets fans that if the team wants to keep the player long-term, they will. Whether the contract ends by the end of spring training or after the season, Cohen will come to the party with the biggest wallet and probably the most motivated. So for now, put the baseball business aside if you take root for the team and enjoy it:
One of the best players in the world is a Met.
Think about this. If there were a scatter plot of each major player tomorrow, how many choices would pass before selecting a 27-year-old shortstop with five tools, durability and a winning off-field personality? Who do you have? Mookie Betts and Mike Trout and maybe Trevor Story and / or Fernando Tatis Jr. You can make a list. You won’t be 10 before Lindor. Heck, you probably won’t get to 10 before you take Lindor and Jacob deGrom, especially if the priority is to win now.
Several times in a Zoom conference with reporters on Monday, Lindor mentioned that she wants to be “a little piece of the puzzle” that brings a championship to Flushing. Beautiful humble feeling. But he is not a small piece. He is what you create to make a difference.
Lindor enters the field like no other current midfielder, playing in 96 percent of the regular and post-season games of the Indians in the last five years. He hits well on both sides of the board, but if he’s better, he’s on the right, which should help a Mets line leaning to the left. And it could be the best defensive shortstop in the game that comes to a team that has not won the position well in recent years. Appropriately, the player fits the team like a glove.
Maybe the city. At the 41-minute introductory press conference, Lindor honored her representative for her positivity and enthusiasm. He handled questions in English and Spanish like a hanging curve ball – no problem. He thanked Cleveland and hugged New York. He leaned heavily on the feeling of “enthusiasm” and “blessing” for this new union.
Lindor’s best moment came when we discussed the scourge of the pandemic. Lindor had been opened last year against two of his teammates – Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac – for violating protocols. On Monday, he mentioned that he loves the duo as teammates, but mentioned that following the protocols was not just about protecting a healthy, well-groomed professional athlete, but about the vulnerable ones around you. It was just the right tone – which was true of all his answers.
This included that – like Cleveland – he remains open to discussing a long-term deal, although he explained that with the end of spring training it is time to focus only on the game, not the money. So he will sign long before the first pitch of the regular season or not be called up until after that.
What is Mets doing? There are some Indians who felt that the contract expired last year and could explain its worst offensive year. Or maybe there were only 60 games (he played them all, by the way) and that over 162, Lindor would have been Lindor. However, if the Mets believe in the player, he may remove the contract from his mind, making it sooner rather than later. Or maybe the Mets want to make sure Lindor is actually productive and happy here before such an investment. Again, Cohen’s riches ensure that he can wait and will probably win in the end for this player and – by the way – if he is offered $ 350 million at the All-Star break, he will even refuse and wait until next year. ?
But again, for Mets fans, this is a deal and should be presented now for the pleasure of landing a player of this ability. Twice in her lecture, Lindor used an expression about what she intended to do. It is also good advice for those who will take root for it.
“Enjoy the ride.”