The baseball business invades. How can you not? Francisco Lindor is a Met because the Indians decided that they could not pay him in the future, continuing to pay the rest of a conflicting list.
And in the seconds – the seconds – after the Mets obtained Lindor, the mind immediately changed to whether Lindor could be retained for the long term through the power of Steve Cohen’s wallet.
Cha-ching is never far away. After all, it’s a business.
But there really is a game linked to this business. And while the Mets are working from now until the end of spring training to see if they can keep the shortstop on, there should be a little more time – especially among Mets fans – from this:
Francisco Lindor is on your team.
And Cohen owns his team.
So don’t worry so much about whether the Mets will keep Lindor. The guy who signs the checks now does it with “COHEN” and not “WILPON”. This should comfort the fans of the Mets, because if the team wants to keep the player for a long time, they will do so. Whether the contract is made at the end of spring training or after the season, Cohen will come to the party with the biggest wallet and probably the biggest motivation. So, for now, put aside the baseball business, cheer for the team and have fun with it:
One of the best players in the world is a Met.
Think about it. If tomorrow there was a scatter draft of all the players in the majors, how many choices would there be before choosing a 27-year-old shortstop with five tools, durability and a winning off-field personality? Who do you have? Mookie Betts and Mike Trout and maybe Trevor Story and / or Fernando Tatis Jr. You can make a list. You will not reach 10 before Lindor. Damn, you’re probably not going to make it 10 before catching Lindor and Jacob deGrom, especially if the priority is to win now.
Several times at a Zoom conference with reporters on Monday, Lindor noted that he wants to be “a little piece of the puzzle” that brings a championship to Flushing. Good humble feeling. But he is not a small piece. It is what you design to make a difference.
Lindor enters the field like no other midfield player today, playing 96% of the Indians’ regular and postseason games in the past five years. It hits well on both sides of the board, but if it’s better it’s on the right side, which should help a Mets formation that leans to the left. And he may be the best defensive shortstop in the game, coming from a team that hasn’t played well in that position for the past few years. Suitably, the player fits the team like a glove.
Maybe the city too. In his 41-minute introductory press conference, Lindor paid tribute to his representative for his positivity and enthusiasm. He handled questions in English and Spanish like a curved hanging ball – no problem. He thanked Cleveland and embraced New York. He relied heavily on feeling “excited” and “blessed” by this new union.
Lindor’s best moment was when discussing the scourge of the pandemic. Lindor was outspoken last year against two of his teammates – Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac – for violating the protocols. On Monday, he mentioned loving the pair as teammates, but noted that following the protocols was not just protecting a healthy, well-cared for professional athlete, but those vulnerable around him. It was the right tone – which was true in all of his responses.
This includes that – as with Cleveland – he remains open to discussing a long-term deal, although he explained that once spring training ends, it is time to focus on gambling, not money. Therefore, he will sign for a long term before the first pitch of the regular season or he will not reconnect until after.
What do Mets do? There are Indians who felt that the contract was approaching last year and perhaps explains its worst offensive year. Or maybe it was just 60 games (he played them all, by the way) and that more than 162, Lindor would have been Lindor. However, if Mets believes in the player, he may remove the contract from his mind, doing so sooner or later. Or maybe Mets wants to make sure that Lindor is really productive and happy here before such an investment. Again, Cohen’s riches guarantee that they can wait and probably still win in the end for this player and – by the way – if he receives an offer of $ 350 million in the All-Star break, he will really refuse and wait until after the year?
But then again, for Mets fans, this is business and business must be introduced now for the fun of getting a player with that skill. Twice in his conference, Lindor used an expression about what he plans to do. It is good advice for those who will cheer for it too.
“Enjoy the ride.”