The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Is this goodbye?
Lindor beginning what is most likely his farewell tour in an Indians uniform
Francisco Lindor might be 15 years away from the farewell tour reserved for baseball’s greatest stars — players such as Mariano Rivera, David Ortiz and Derek Jeter — but for fans of the Indians, the farewell tour for what is almost sure to be Lindor’s last season with the Tribe begins July 24.
The sad part is, because the heartless novel coronavirus is too dangerous to make being in the stands safe, fans can’t watch Lindor in person in 2020 unless state officials in Ohio change their minds.
Lindor has always said and done the right thing regarding his love of Indians teammates and Indians fans since making his Major League debut with the Tribe on June 14, 2015, yet that was really the day the countdown clock to his free agency began ticking — softly at first. It kept getting louder as the seasons slipped by.
Lindor will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2021 season without a new contract, which means the Indians will likely trade him before the Aug. 31 deadline unless they are in the playoff race. Most assuredly they will deal him by next winter so they aren’t left with nothing when his time for free agency comes, assuming Indians owner Paul Dolan doesn’t find $350 million under a rock to offer Lindor in a 10-year extension.
“I’m not money driven. I’m championship driven,” Lindor said at Tribe Fest this year. “That’s what I want. Wherever I go, I want to win. 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 front office is supposed to put a team together to win — not to save money.”
Just before MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred on March 12 halted spring training because of COVID-19, Lindor and the Indians broke off negotiations on a possible extension.
“So we put that aside and let’s focus on winning,” Lindor told reporters covering the Indians spring training in Goodyear, Ariz. “My agent knows my value. I know my value. But that’s something that’s a little more private. But I do know what’s fair for both sides. I’m very aware. I’ve studied it.”
The Indians, because of their deep pitching staff, are a World Series contender this year despite a 26-man payroll ($89,004,234 based on a 162-game season) that ranks 24th of 30 teams in the Major Leagues. Lindor and first baseman Carlos Santana top the list, each at $17.5 million without factoring in the pro-rated adjustments for playing a 60game season. Players will make 37 percent of their original salary because 60 is 37 percent of 162. But that doesn’t change the math: The Indians will still try to win their first World Series
in 72 years with a payroll that ranks 24th in the league.
Lindor made the AllStar team every year from 2016-2019. He wasn’t an AllStar as a rookie because he didn’t make his debut until exactly one month before the game was played. He won’t be an All-Star in 2020 because the game was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lindor, drafted eighth overall in June 2011 when he was 17 years old, has hit 130 home runs, driven in 384 runs and scored 478 runs while playing in 717 games with the Indians. He helped them get to the World Series in 2016 and to the first round of the playoffs in 2017 and 2018.
“He’s a really good player,” catcher Roberto Perez said. “He’s the face of the Indians. He’s a hard worker. He’s a great teammate. I can go on and on. He’s one of the best players in baseball.”
Indians’ right-hander Mike Clevinger, after pitching to Lindor in practice July 7, declared:
“Frankie is probably the best left-handed batter I’ll face all season.”
Lindor’s full value to the Indians isn’t measured in statistics alone. If ever a player had an appropriate nickname, Lindor’s “Mr. Smile” moniker is it. He would tirelessly give his autographs to fans before games at Progressive Field.
Before Sunday home games — not this year since fans won’t be allowed inside the stadium — youngsters would run onto the diamond and into the outfield at Progressive Field to greet Indians players as they took their positions for the top of the first inning. It was never a chore for Lindor to spend time with whichever young boy or girl was lucky enough to be the one to run out to shortstop.
“Frankie is a difference-maker everywhere: Clubhouse, dugout, on the bases, at short, in the batter’s box,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “He’s one of the very best players in the game.”
Lindor enjoys fraternizing with opposing players when he is on the bases or when they get to second base. Having fun is part of what makes him special.
The Indians will find another shortstop with a flashy glove, but it will not be as easy to replace his bat. Lindor hit 33 home runs in 2017, 38 in 2018 and 32 last season.
“That guy (Lindor) is one of the elite players in the game,” Oakland A’s manager Bob Melvin told Lavidabaseball.com in 2019. “He hits. He hits for power. He hits for average. He plays great defense. He runs. Not too many (shortstops) do everything he does. He’s clutch on top of it, too.”
Lindor has a career .345 batting average with a runner on third base and less than two outs. His average falls more than 100 points, to .233, with a runner on third and two outs.
Lindor’s leadership will be even more difficult for Indians management to replace when the time comes. His teammates elected Lindor as their union player representative. That responsibility shows what he means to them.
‘I don’t want to be ‘The Guy,’ Lindor said two months into his rookie year, when even then it was obvious where his career was heading. “I want my teammates to rely on and believe in me, and I want the fans to rely on and believe in me and enjoy watching me play. If I end up being the guy, so be it, but I don’t want to be The Guy.’
Whether or not he wanted the role, Francisco Lindor is ‘The Guy’ with the Indians. But, sadly, not for much longer.