The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Generous Love
Sometimes things just don’t work out the way everyone would like them to, yet no one is to blame. The negotiations to keep Francisco Lindor in an Indians uniform deep into this decade is one of those times.
The clock is ticking louder on the countdown to the final time Lindor flashes his trademark smile at Progressive Field, makes a dazzling play at shortstop or drives in a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 Indians victory.
Lindor will be a free agent after the 2021 season without a new contract. Any chance of him playing two more full seasons with the Indians diminished further last week when Lindor decided to end negotiations so he could concentrate on winning in 2020.
It is worth noting negotiations ended before Major League Baseball decided to suspend spring training and push back the start of the season at least two weeks because of the novel coronavirus pandemic. It seems overly optimistic to believe baseball will be played as early as mid-April. So in reality the Indians and Lindor’s agents could restart contract talks without them being a distraction to the All-Star shortstop. In reality, though, they would probably be a waste of time.
“I’m really appreciative of the effort Francisco and his representatives and our ownership put into the process of trying to find alignment,” Indians president Chris Antonetti told reporters in Goodyear, Ariz., before spring training came to a premature end. “We spent quite a bit of time over the last few months to try to find a way to make something work. There was a sincere and earnest effort by Francisco and his representative, David Meter, as well as our ownership.
“Ultimately, we weren’t able to align at this point. We talked with Francisco and David about just focusing on the season at this point and then revisiting things down the road.”
So all hope isn’t extinguished. But for now, Lindor is choosing to not talk about his contract situation. He is making $17.5 million this season. He knows in two years he might be making double that from some team. All he has to do is stay healthy and keep producing.
“Now (the contract negotiation) is in the past and we’re focusing on baseball and winning,” Lindor told reporters. “I want to win and hopefully we can get through this (COVID-19) situation we’re going through right now. It kind of seems like the contract thing is very little compared to what’s happening.”
Lindor should not be expected to settle for less money than he might make on the open market. Nor should Indians owner Paul Dolan be expected to open his checkbook and say, “Just tell me how much you want, Frankie, and it’s yours.”
Fans have to hope this COVID-19 pandemic is defeated in time for baseball to be played this summer. Otherwise, Lindor might already have played his last game with the Tribe.
Clemson football player Sean Pollard lifts weights during Clemson’s pro day March 12. NFL teams are not hosting players at their team headquarters because of travel risks.
The NFL league year is supposed to begin March 18. That would be the first day teams can sign free agents and it is the deadline for a team to tender offers to restricted free agents it wants to keep. Teams can begin negotiating with potential free agents March 16.
But it would be no surprise if the NFL delays the start of the league year at the last minute. It has already banned teams from inviting potential draftees to their complexes for a visit because of travel risks regarding the virus, so it is likely to issue a similar ban to potential free agents.
Teams and agents are finding alternatives to visits by setting up Skype interviews with the blessing of the NFL. But even those have the following restrictions, per a memo from the league:
• Clubs can schedule no more than three telephone or video conferences with an individual draft-eligible player per week (Sunday through Saturday)
• Each telephone or video conference can last no longer than one hour
• Such telephone or video conference cannot be conducted at a time that interferes with the player’s school schedule.
Likewise, team personnel are prohibited from traveling to any location to meet with a player. The edict was issued after the Browns and other teams announced scouts and coaches would not be traveling by air.
The offseason program for Browns and other teams with new head coaches is supposed to begin April 6. That is likely to be pushed back. The league is not going to let 90 sweaty players gather in a facility three weeks from now if it is queasy about letting one player board a plane for a predraft visit.
The draft, scheduled for April 23-25 in Las Vegas, could be next to fall, although the league could probably find a way to conduct the entire draft remotely, with each team making picks from the isolation of its own facility. Trades are not usually consummated at the site of the draft, anyway.
The start of OTAs would be delayed if the draft is pushed back, and that could ultimately mean delaying minicamps, the start of training camp and the start of the regular season.
It would be strange indeed if late next February the Super Bowl and baseball spring training are being conducted simultaneously.
We’ll get this out of the way quickly. Kevin Love is making $28.9 million this season.
That does not negate Love’s generosity for announcing he is giving $100,000 to the employees and support staff of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse who won’t be working while the FieldHouse is closed to events because of COVID-19.
“Be kind to one another,” Love said in an Instagram post. “Be understanding of their fears, regardless if you don’t feel the same. Be safe and make informed decisions during this time. And I encourage everyone to take care of themselves and to reach out to others in need.”
The Cavaliers have since announced they will pay hourly employees and event staff as though all games, concerts and other events are proceeding as normal.
Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA, has also promised to pay hourly employees as though games are being played.
There is no way to know when the season will resume, or if it will, but NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the suspension of games would last a minimum of 30 days.
The Cavaliers have five home games left in the regular season. The Monsters have seven home games remaining. The AHL, like the NBA, NHL and most leagues, has suspended play until further notice.
Fans have to hope this COVID-19 pandemic is defeated in time for baseball to be played this summer. Otherwise, Lindor might already have played his last game with the Tribe.