The baseball business is invading. How not? Francisco Lindor is a Met because the Indians decided they could not pay him in the future, while they continued to pay the rest of a disputed list.
And in the seconds — the seconds — after the Mets got Lindor, the mind immediately shifted to whether Lindor could stay long-term thanks to the power of Steve Cohen’s portfolio.
Chatting is never far away. It’s a business, after all.
But there really is a game tied to this business. And while the Mets are on the clock now and until the end of spring training to see if they can keep the short, there should be some more time, especially among Mets fans:
Francisco Lindor is on your team.
And Cohen owns your computer.
So don’t worry so much about whether the Mets will keep Lindor. The man signing the checks now does so with “COHEN” and not with “WILPON”. This should comfort Mets fans that if the team wants to keep the player long-term they will. Whether the contract is made at the end of spring training or after the season, Cohen will come to the party with the largest portfolio and probably the most motivated. So for now, set aside the baseball business if you use the team and enjoy it:
One of the best players in the world is the Met.
Think about it. If there were a scatter draft of all major players tomorrow, how many options would pass before selecting a 27-year-old short with five tools, durability, and 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 get to ten before Lindor. Heck, you probably won’t get to ten before you take Lindor and Jacob deGrom, especially if the priority is to win now.
Several times at a Zoom conference Monday with reporters, Lindor noted that he wants to be “a little piece of the puzzle” that leads a championship to Flushing. Nice humble feeling. But it’s not a small piece. It’s what you draw to make a difference.
Lindor enters the field of play like no other current midfielder, playing in 96 percent of the Indians ’regular and postseason games over the past five years. It hits well from both sides of the plate, but if it’s better it’s from the right side, which should help a Mets alignment leaning to the left. And it could be the best defensive field of the game for a team that hasn’t gotten that position well in recent years. Properly, the player fits the team like a glove.
Maybe the city too. At his 41-minute press conference, Lindor honored his rep for his positivity and enthusiasm. He treated questions in English and Spanish like a hanging curve ball, no problem. He thanked Cleveland and embraced New York. He leaned heavily to feel “excited” and “blessed” by this new union.
Lindor’s best moment came when discussing the scourge of the pandemic. Lindor had been outspoken last year against two of his teammates, Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac, for violating protocols. On Monday, he mentioned that he loved the duo as teammates, but noted that following the protocols was not just about protecting a healthy, well-groomed professional athlete, but about those who were vulnerable around you. It was the right tone, which was true in all his answers.
This included that, as with Cleveland, he remains open to discussing a long-term deal, though he explained that once spring training is over it’s time to focus solely on playing, not money. So he will sign long-term before the first launch of the regular season or not participate again until later.
What do the Mets do? There are those who come from the Indians who felt that the contract was ending last year and that it could explain their worst offensive year. Or maybe it was just 60 games (by the way, he played them all) and that over 162, Lindor would have been Lindor. However, if the Mets believe in the player, they may take the contract out of his mind by doing so sooner rather than later. Or maybe the Mets want to make sure Lindor is really productive and happy before that investment. Once again, Cohen’s riches ensure that they can probably wait and win in the end for this player, and by the way, if they offer him $ 350 million at the All-Star break, he will really refuse and wait until after the year?
But again, for Mets fans this is a business and businesses should be presented now to enjoy a player of that skill. Twice in his lecture, Lindor used an expression about what he plans to do. It’s good advice for those who will too.
“Enjoy the trip.”