Lindor suspends contract extension talks

The Indians shortstop has suspended contract extension talks and will focus on the upcoming season.

The contract situation surrounding Francisco Lindor took a turn March 9.

For some Indians fans, it could be viewed as a turn for the worst.

According to The Athletic, the Indians shortstop has suspended contract extension talks with the team during spring training, and will focus on the upcoming season, which begins March 26 at Progressive Field.

“We had good conversations,” Lindor told The Athletic. “We couldn’t come up with an agreement. So we put that aside, and let’s focus on winning.”

Lindor is a four-time all-star who is expected to generate bigtime interest on the free-agent market and an even bigger salary after the 2021 season, the last of his arbitration years.

At Tribe Fest on Feb. 1, Lindor addressed his contract situation by starting with this:

“If you had a player to start a franchise, who would it be?” said Lindor. “If you had five players to start a franchise, you’re not going to pay them $100 million a year. There’s money out there. Our (Indians) payroll last year was $125 million. There are no teams out there with a $10 million payroll. No team is bankrupt.”

Lindor made $623,200 in 2018. He made $10.55 million in 2019 in the first year he was eligible for arbitration. He will make $17.5 million in 2020.

What it will cost to keep Lindor in Cleveland beyond 2021 is anyone’s guess, but the magic number many have suggested is it will require a team to pay Lindor up to $300 million.

That’s because Lindor has proven to be one of baseball’s elite at the premium position of shortstop.

Since debuting with the Indians on June 14, 2015, he’s has been an All-Star each of the last four years. Lindor has 130 home runs, 384 RBI and scored 478 runs while playing in 717 games.

Lindor said at Tribe Fest he would love to remain in Cleveland.

“This is home,” he said. “This is a great city with great fans. We have a good team.”

To stay with the Indians, it should go without saying the money has to be right for Lindor. He recently said he’s “not money driven. I’m championship driven.”

“Wherever I go, I want to win,” said Lindor. “I want to bring a championship to the city of Cleveland. That’s my mission. I’m here, today, and I want to win for the Indians. It has nothing to do with the money. It has nothing to do with years. It has to do with championships.”

The decision by Lindor to end — for now — contract extension talks will surely add to the rumors the Indians might look to trade him during this season to get a higher return on his value, especially since he has two full years remaining on his existing contract.

For now — with the home opener against the the Tigers a little more than two weeks away — all talks have been put on hold.