The New York Mets acquired Puerto Rican torpedo boatman Francisco Lindor and right-hander Carlos Carrasco in a megachange with the Cleveland Indians.
The Indians will host shortstops Andrés Giménez, and Amed Rosario, and two minor league prospects, right-hander Josh Wolf and outfielder Isaiah Greene, in exchange.
The change marks the Mets ’first major move since owner Steve Cohen completed the franchise purchase last year. Cohen bought from the Mets on Nov. 6 from the Wilpon and Katz families and pledged to increase spending.
Indians are also saving a significant portion of their payroll in 2021 by parting ways with Lindor ($ 19,500,000) and Carrasco ($ 12 million).
Since its MLB debut in 2015, Lindor ranks first among all torpedo boats in WAR (28.4), home runs (138) and extra bases, according to ESPN Data research.
He also ranks second in propelled races (411) and races (508), and fifth in OPS (835) and slugging (485), while batting .285. At 27, Lindor has won four All-Star Game nominations, two Gold Gloves and two Silver Bats alongside a World Series appearance in 2016 and a second place finish in the Rookie of the Year poll. of the American League in 2015.
Once the 2020 Indian season, shortened by the pandemic, ended in a defeat to the New York Yankees in the wildcard round, it became a matter of when, and not if, Lindor would be changed.
Cleveland had run out of options. Lindor turned down numerous long-term contract offers from some liquidity-stricken Indians, betting on himself and knowing he could get more money from a major market team when he became a free agent.
He only has a contract until the 2021 season, so the Mets will have to get to work quickly to secure him in the long run.
The Indians made it known that Lindor was available for the right price. And while it’s never easy to trade generational talent with perhaps his best years ahead, Cleveland’s financial situation would never allow him to hold back.
Cohen hopes to turn around a franchise that has not won a World Series since 1986.
Cohen hired general manager Brodie Van Wagenen and reclaimed former general manager Sandy Alderson as team president and hired Jared Porter of Arizona as general manager under Alderson.
Increasing spending, the Mets were left with pitcher Marcus Stroman for $ 18,900,000 in a qualifying bid, signed right-back Trevor May for $ 15,500,000 on a two-year contract and receiver James McCann, with a four-year deal and $ 40.6 million. New York also signed injured right-hander Noah Syndergaard for $ 9.7 million for one year.
Carrasco, 33, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2019 and returned that same season, becoming the American League Return of the Year. He was seventh in the American League with a 2.91 ERA in 12 starts last season and was sixth with 82 strikeouts in 68.0 innings.
Carrasco has an 88-73 record with an effectiveness of 3.77 and 1,305 strikeouts in 242 games during his 11-year career with Cleveland.
Rosari, 25, batted 268 with 32 homers and 148 RBIs in 403 games with the Mets between 2017 and 2020.
Giménez, 22, hit .263 with three homers and 12 RBIs in 49 games last year.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.