The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
An Amazin’ deal
Mets acquire star shortstop Lindor, Carrasco from Indians
CLEVELAND — Francisco Lindor is moving to a new city and team that is willing to meet his salary demands.
The four-time Cleveland All-Star shortstop — one of baseball’s best all- around players — was traded Thursday by the Indians along with pitcher Carlos Carrasco to the New York Mets, who have a new owner willing to spend at baseball’s highest levels.
“They did not come cheaply,” Mets president Sandy Alderson said. “What we’re trying to do is create a new reality rather than deal with perception.”
The cash-strapped Indians sent Lindor and Carrasco to the Mets for infielders Andres Gimenez and Amed Rosario, righthander Josh Wolf and outfielder Isaiah Greene — a move Cleveland hopes will keep it competitive and capable of ending baseball’s longest World Series title drought.
Dealing Lindor, who is eligible for free agency after the 2021 season, was inevitable for the mid-market Indians, who are unable to compete financially with MLB’s big spenders and dropped roughly $30 million in dealing two prominent players and fan favorites.
“These are people we care about, not just players, and guys that loved the organization and have great memories here,” said Indians President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti, who said he was in tears when he spoke with Lindor and Carrasco. “Trades like this are really tough. But it’s the right thing to do.”
For the Mets, landing Lindor is a home run and another major move by hedge fund owner Steven Cohen, who bought the team on Nov. 6 from the Wilpon and Katz families and has pledged to increase spending.
One of his next big-ticket items figures to be signing Lindor to a long-term contract, something the Indians couldn’t do.
The 27-year-old Lindor can affect the game with his bat, glove and legs. A two-time Gold Glove winner, he is a career .285 hitter and averaged 29 homers, 86 RBIs and 21 steals in his six major-league seasons — all with the Indians, who drafted him in 2011 and developed him.
He also has been the face of the Indians’ franchise, with an infectious smile and joy for playing that has made him one of Cleveland’s most popular athletes. But he’s gone now, leaving the Indians without their best player and the team’s fans grumbling about owner Paul Dolan.
Carrasco is one of the game’s best comeback stories, overcoming leukemia to become one of the AL’s steadiest starters. The 33-year-old has a 88-73 career record with a 3.73 ERA.
Lindor is signed for only another season, so the Mets will have to get to work quickly on
locking him up for the long term.
“We’ve had one conversation with him and no conversations with his agent,” Alderson said. “We acquired Francisco because of his present ability and the possibility that he could be a Met long-term. There’s no guarantee of that. It’s something that we will approach, you know, in the next few weeks.”
Cohen is hoping to turn around a franchise that has not won a World Series since 1986.
The Mets fired general manager Brodie Van Wagenen and brought back Alderson, the former GM, as team president. Alderson hired Jared Porter from Arizona as GM.
Lindor had $ 6,481,481 in prorated pay from a $ 17.5 million salary last year, and he is eligible for free agency after the 2021 season.