The New York Mets bought him on the shortstop Francisco Lindor and on the right Carlos Carrasco in a mega trade with the Cleveland Indians.
The Indians will host Andres Gimenez and Amed Rosario, as well as two potentials from the minor league, right Josh Wolf and outfielder Isaiah Greene.
The transaction marks the Mets’ first major move since owner Steve Cohen completed the franchise’s acquisition last year. Cohen bought the Wilpon and Katz families from the Mets on November 6 and pledged to increase spending.
Indians also save a significant portion of their pay in 2021, separating from Lindor ($ 19.5 million) and Carrasco ($ 12 million).
Since making her MLB debut in 2015, Lindor ranks first among all WAR (28.4), home runs (138) and extra-base shortstops, according to ESPN Data research.
It also ranks second in RBI (411) and runs (508) and fifth in OPS (.835) and slugging (.485), while hitting .285. At the age of 27, Lindor won four All-Star Game nominations, two gold gloves and two silver bats, along with a 2016 World Series appearance and a second-place finish in the AL Rookie of the Year vote in 2015.
Once the Indian season 2020, shortened by the pandemic, ended with a loss to the New York Yankees in the wild-card round, it became a question of when, if not, whether Lindor would be traded.
Cleveland was left with no choice. Lindor turned down numerous offers for long-term contracts from moneyless Indians, relying on himself and knowing that he could get more money from a major market team when he became a free agent.
He is only hired in the 2021 season, so the Mets will have to work fast to secure him in the long run.
The Indians made it known that Lindor was available at the right price. And while it’s never easy to trade a generational talent, with probably the best years ahead, Cleveland’s financial condition would never allow it to be maintained.
Cohen hopes to turn a franchise that hasn’t won a 1986 world series.
Cohen hired general manager Brodie Van Wagenen and brought back former general manager Sandy Alderson as team president and hired Jared Porter of Arizona as general manager under Alderson.
Increasing spending, the Mets took pitcher Marcus Stroman for $ 18.9 million in a qualifying bid, signed right-back Trevor May for $ 15.5 million in a two-year deal and catcher James McCann, on a four-year, $ 40.6 deal. millions of dollars. New York also signed right-wing injured Noah Syndergaard for $ 9.7 million for a year.
Carrasco, 33, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2019 and returned in the same season, becoming the Return of the Year in the American League. He was seventh in the American League with an ERA of 2.91 in 12 starts last season and sixth with 82 hits in 68.0 innings.
Carrasco is 88-73 with an ERA of 3.77 and 1,305 shots in 242 games during his 11-year career with Cleveland.
The 25-year-old Rosario managed .268 with 32 shares and 148 RBIs in 403 Mets games between 2017 and 2020.
Gimenez, 22, hit .263 with three home runs and 12 RBIs in 49 games last year.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.