With the events that transpired in our nation’s capitol yesterday, I think most can agree with Sen. Chuck Schumer in saying that January 6, 2021 will most definitely be added to the short list of dates that will forever be remembered in the history of the United States. While it is still a shock to me such events could have occurred in the first place, I just wanted to briefly address it and mention that going forward I hope as a country we can be better.
Now, I am finally excited to say there is some big news in baseball! I was originally working on a third blog discussing the Cubs lack of offense and the advanced metrics of Kris Bryant’s “decline”, but with this Francisco Lindor trade to the Mets it would be shameful to not review the full trade right now. As of now, the trade breakdown is as follows:
| New York Receives: | Cleveland Receives: |
| SS Francisco Lindor SP Carlos Carrasco | SS Amed Rosario SS Andres Gimenez P Josh Wolf (prospect) OF Isaiah Greene (prospect) |
While at first glance it looks like this is a win for the Mets, I think this trade was pretty win-win for both sides. The Mets are clearly going for it all, and adding a bat like Lindor to an already proven lineup with bats like Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, and Michael Conforto is a huge step in the right direction. Plus, with a rotation boasting the names of Jacob DeGrom, Noah Syndergaard, and Marcus Stroman, adding in Carlos Carrasco to that mix makes them that much stronger. For the Indians, this was clearly a payroll move to a team that was already in the process of a rebuild after trading away players such as Trevor Bauer, Mike Clevinger, and Corey Kluber within the last two seasons. The good news for them, they just got rid of $44 million in salary for the 2020 season from this trade. While Rosario is no Lindor, he is at the very least a respectable shortstop that (unfortunately for him) will not be a part of the future success of the Mets.
For the Mets, this move puts them right with other contenders for the N.L. pennant along with teams such as the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres. So far this offseason, the Mets have added C James McCann and RP Trevor May – and now Lindor and Carrasco. This signing is obviously a big one in terms of making the team better overall, but this could also sway free agents like OF George Springer or SP Trevor Bauer. My next best guess is the Mets are going to push even harder for Springer and maybe a lefty reliever to help bolster the bullpen even more. It could be interesting to see if the Mets re-sign Justin Wilson or reunite Lindor and Carrasco with former teammate and current free agent Brad Hand. I also expect Cohen to extend Lindor as soon as possible, because the switch hitting and platinum glove defensive shortstop is arguably the best in the game. The future of the Mets is bright, and this move is further proof that when you have a GM that wants to win anything is possible.
Jet Baseball Talk 