New York Mets acquire Francisco Lindor from Cleveland Indians

The first major move of the Steve Cohen Era is upon us, as the New York Mets have acquired Francisco Lindor from the Cleveland Indians.

Fireworks were expected when Steve Cohen purchased the New York Mets from the Wilpon Family. He had vowed to treat the team as the large market entity that they are, spending whatever was necessary to transform the franchise into a perennial playoff contender. That had begun with the Mets signing of James McCann and Trevor May to upgrade two weaker areas on the roster.

On Thursday, the Mets made their first truly transformative move. According to reports, the Cleveland Indians are sending Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco to New York in exchange for Amed Rosario, Andres Gimenez, and prospects Josh Wolf and Isaiah Greene.

The inclusion of Rosario was reported by Jonathan Mayo.

Lindor is obviously the key piece of the puzzle for the Mets. Arguably the best shortstop in the game, he has posted a career .285/.346/.488 batting line with 138 homers and 191 doubles in his 3510 plate appearances. A four time All Star and two time Gold Glove winner, Lindor makes an already dangerous lineup that much better.

However, this trade may only be the beginning. Lindor is scheduled to be a free agent after the season, and the Mets did give up solid long term assets to acquire him. It would not be a surprise to see rumors about talks regarding a contract extension between the two sides in the near future.

Carrasco is also an important acquisition. The Mets had been looking to improve their rotation and add depth, which Carrasco provides. He has a career 88-73 record with a 3.77 ERA and a 1.196 WHiP over his 1242.1 innings, with 1305 strikeouts and 321 walks. Carrasco is also signed through 2022 with a team option for 2023, making him a longer term option.

For Cleveland, Gimenez has to be considered the key return. A consensus top 100 prospect prior to the 2019 season, he held his own well in his major league debut last year, posting a solid .263/.333/.398 batting line with three homers and eight steals in his 132 plate appearances. This gives the Indians a potential long term answer at short and a player that they could build around.

The inclusion of Rosario is a bit of a surprise given that Gimenez was a part of the trade. However, he did not appear to have much of a future with the Mets, as the team discussed turning him into a utility player for lack of a better option. After a breakthrough 2019 campaign, Rosario bombed last year, posting a .252/.272/.371 batting line with four homers and only one stolen base attempt.

This trade also takes care of one of the more important tasks for Cleveland this offseason – their desire to shed payroll. They have removed approximately $44 million in obligations in the trade, a primary goal of the offseason.

The New York Mets have made their first major move of the Steve Cohen Era, as they have acquired Francisco Lindor. Chances are, they are not done.