The New York Mets owned the MLB’s offseason headlines with their blockbuster deal to land Francisco Lindor from the Cleveland Indians. Lindor and the rest of the position players reported to spring training camp Monday and the start of the 2021 campaign is looming. The buzz of this addition still dominates the headlines, but it’s time for Mets management to start thinking ahead. Lindor’s contract needs to be extended as soon as humanly possible.
New York Mets: the time to extend Lindor is now
New York’s ownership group, headed by principal owner Steve Cohen, has the opportunity to secure one of the game’s biggest stars for a long time. Unfortunately, the clock is ticking. One of the biggest factors in the Mets obtaining Lindor from the Indians was his looming contract. The superstar shortstop has just one year remaining on his current deal and will hit unrestricted free agency following the 2021 campaign.
After Lindor was introduced to the New York media, he expressed interest in finding a permanent home with the Mets. This, of course, is a huge checkmark for the Mets.
Lindor’s potential extension has already begun seeing a lot of attention in the aftermath of Fernando Tatis Jr.’s mega-deal. Not only do this pair share a similar position and age, but this also lays a solid framework for the type of deal that Lindor may require for an extension. Tatis Jr. is lockup by the San Diego Padres for the next 14 years for a total of $340 million. Lindor is five years older than Tatis Jr., but at 27-years-old, Lindor will likely be looking for an extension of at least one decade.
From New York’s standpoint, it’s absolutely a necessity to extend Lindor. The Mets did give up decent capital in order to pull off the deal, and the shortstop is a perfect position, personality, and talent to be the face of the franchise.
Lindor met with the press on Monday and further explained his wishes to finalize an extension before Opening Day.
"“The reason why I’ve said I don’t want it to be [after] Opening Day is because as a player, we have a duty, and the duty is to show up and win,” Lindor said."
Of course, there’s a rather cynical reason the Mets need to work on this extension as soon as possible. Imagine a scenario where the Mets got off to a slow start, missed the playoffs, or even developed some locker room issues. While unlikely, these are inherently possible scenarios. We’ve seen similar stories too many different times in the world of sports. If any of these scenarios came to fruition, that does not bode well for Lindor’s overall happiness in New York and willingness to stay long-term.
Francisco Lindor is the best position player New York has had since the David Wright and Jose Reyes era. The four-time All-Star is still very much in his prime, displaying Gold Glove-caliber defense at short and MVP-caliber offense at the plate. The 27-year-old owns 162-game averages of 29 home runs, a .285 batting average, 21 stolen bases, and 86 RBIs. He’s the bonafide superstar that the New York Mets have been waiting for.