The day New York Mets fans have been hoping for all offseason finally happened in the early morning hours of January 7th. Newly appointed owner Steve Cohen, who happens to have a net worth of 14 billion dollars, cashed in on his promise of increasing payroll to improve the team by acquiring Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco from Cleveland. There you have it folks. Lindor, nicknamed Mr. Smile, is taking his arguably best personality in the game to the Big Apple. It is a fit that is almost too perfect for one of the type-A persona’s in baseball, without even quantifying what his skillset on the field will bring to the team. Oh, and in the trade the Mets just so happened to pick up a pretty good starting pitcher in Carrasco, whose numbers speak for themselves throughout his career and happens to be well liked from a personality standpoint in the game as well. Ever since Jared Porter, (also newly appointed), general manager of the Mets was hired by Cohen, the Mets have taken over the baseball buzz around New York, with the resigning of Marcus Stroman due to the qualifying offer and the signings of reliever Trevor May and catcher James McCann earlier this offseason. Especially considering the fact that the cross town rival New York Yankees were known to be floating around the idea of a Francisco Lindor trade as well. Could this be the spark the Mets have been searching for since their last World Series title in 1986? We shall soon find out.
The six player swap sending Lindor to Queens included Carrasco as aforementioned, with New York sending Amed Rosario, Andres Giminez, and prospects Josh Wolf and Isaiah Greene to Cleveland. From the viewpoint of Cleveland, they are not a big market team. Plain and simple. This fact means if they had pulled the trigger on a Lindor mega-extension, he would have most likely been a part of the tribe for life. However, the cost of making that move would have caused a ripple effect throughout the organization, making it nearly impossible to build a contending team around him. These facts lead to the eventual decision by Cleveland to deal their trademark superstar in order to save money and try to get the best haul in return as possible. Comparing the salaries the major league ready players are projected for in 2021, (Lindor 19.5 million, Carrasco 12 million, and Rosario 2.2 million), it is easy to see why Cleveland made the move they did. With billionaire Steve Cohen buying the Metropolitans earlier in the offseason, it made the decision for New York to take on the money of the Lindor and Carrasco contracts easier as well.
Lindor and Carrasco will both be projected to be key pieces in the hopeful 2021 World Series run in Queens. However, they were both included in the trade for significantly different reasons. I’ll break down how each player will make their own impact on the team individually, starting with Carlos Carrasco. Carrasco, nicknamed “Cookie” throughout the sport, has been through more ups and downs as of late than the average MLB player. Diagnosed with Leukemia in June 2019, Carrasco had much more to focus on other than stepping onto the mound every fifth day the remainder of the season. After recovering and being able to pitch the final month of the 2019 season, Cookie was named the American League comeback player of the year for the season. To dive deeper into the performance aspect of Carrasco, his numbers speak for themselves. Since becoming a key part of Cleveland’s greatly perceived rotation from 2014 on, excluding the blip in the radar that was 2019, Cookie has averaged an ERA of 3.61, a WHIP of 1.11, and a 10.18 K/9, with his best ERA since splitting time in 2014 as a reliever and starter coming in at 2.91 in the covid-19 shortened 2020 season. Although only starting one postseason game each year he was in the rotation in Cleveland and they made the playoffs, he has been solid then as well. In three career postseason games, he has gone past the five inning mark twice, while also having given up two runs or fewer twice. While the experience is not much, experience is experience when pitching in a postseason atmosphere, which is an expectation I’m sure Carrasco has after seeing how aggressive Steve Cohen has been this offseason in trying to improve an already solid Mets team. Carrasco also does not have to go over to New York and be the immediate ace of the starting staff. Realistically Carrasco will slide in around the three spot in the rotation, behind Jacob deGrom and Marcus Stroman and in front of Steven Matz and David Peterson( and Noah Syndergaard when he returns from injury). His role will not change much from what it was previously in Cleveland, and any statistics produced by Carrasco that are better than expected will be a sight for sore eyes in Queens. With Carrasco being under contract through 2023, Mets fans should get used to seeing Cookie do his thing on the mound in the Big Apple 25-30 times a year.
Now, for Mr. Smile. It is pretty close to a guarantee that if you are a fan of Major League Baseball, no matter how young or old, you know who Francisco Lindor is. A stud prospect who budded into an absolute superstar before our eyes in Cleveland, there was nothing not to like about the shortstop. From his abilities on the field, to his clutch postseason moments, to his all star game red carpet outfits, hair included, and to his contagious smile( where the nickname came from), we have watched Frankie Lindor grow up since his first game as a member of the tribe. Suddenly, after the trade to the Mets, it seems as if his entire career has culminated to this point for the purpose of being the face of New York baseball, alongside cross town rival superstar Aaron Judge, in a similar way that David Wright and Derek Jeter were the faces of New York baseball earlier in the 2000s, with the ultimate goal of winning at least the 2021 World Series in Queens. Obviously Mets’ fans would love to see Steve Cohen open the bank on an extension for Lindor before he even plays a game for the orange and blue, (which I’m sure is a work and progress), with this most likely giving New York multiple chances at multiple world championships for years to come and make Lindor a monumental face in New York sports. However with the aftermath of the trade still in the premature stages, it may be too soon to spin the tires on the potential of this hopeful reality. For now, Mets fans will have to settle for the one season of Lindor and hope Cohen sticks to his word of backing up truck to get Lindor to stay in New York long term. And hey, a World Series title in his first year in Queens could go a long way in convincing Lindor that New York is the place for him.
Now looking at the trade purely from a numbers standpoint, there aren’t many shortstops in the game today that are even comparable to Lindor. He is a perennial MVP candidate, and quite honestly one of the best all around players in the sport. Since his first full season with the tribe in 2015, excluding the shortened 2020 season, Lindor has averaged 26 home runs, a .290 batting average, a .839 OPS, 19 stolen bases, and 77 RBI. These numbers are right around or well above the best shortstops in the game, and even the best overall players when they are put together into a singular player profile. Aside from the offensive numbers, Lindor also offers an immense upgrade when it comes to the defensive side of the ball. Amed Rosario and Andres Giminez were the primary shortstops for the Mets in 2020. At the shortstop position, they combined for a .984 fielding percentage compared to a .995 fielding percentage from Lindor, -2 defensive runs saved compared to Lindor’s +2 defensive runs saved, and the projected numbers for defensive runs saved in a full season would have been even farther apart, with Rosario/Giminez at -4 and Lindor being projected at +5. Although their fielding percentages aren’t that far apart, Lindor is still ahead, and having positive defensive runs saved numbers compared to negative are a significant upgrade. With the upcoming 162-game suspension of veteran second baseman Robinson Cano being announced earlier this offseason, it is expected that Jeff McNeil will take over the majority of the second base duties for the Mets this year. With the defensive versatility from McNeil replacing the declining defense of Cano, this should only improve both the defense from Lindor and the entire Mets ballclub. Professionals say the key to successful team defense starts directly up the middle, and one way or another New York improved theirs with the signing of James McCann behind the plate, the trade to acquire Francisco Lindor to play shortstop, the subsequent movement of Jeff McNeil to second base due to the Cano suspension, and the return of Brandon Nimmo to play centerfield after a season mired by injuries.
Lindor will automatically become a leader in the Mets clubhouse. His performance on the field speaks for itself. As a native of Puerto Rico, with the ability to speak both Spanish and English, he will have the unique opportunity to communicate with teammates and coaches differently than other players may get the chance to. His charismatic attitude towards wanting to be the best player, teammate, and World Series champion he can be will get pushed onto his teammates. And don’t be surprised if you see every player, coach, executive, and fan involved with the Mets gallivanting around Queens with a smile similar to that for which Francisco Lindor walks around with on a daily basis. This move is a monumental trade in the history of the Metropolitans organization, and will become even more so if Steve Cohen is able to convince Lindor that Queens is the right place for him to spend the rest of his baseball playing career. Speaking on behalf of Mets fans all around the world, they most certainly want this trade to go down in history as the acquisitions of Mike Piazza, Johan Santana, Kieth Hernandez, and Gary Carter did, with the latter two being key pieces of the Mets World Series victory over the Boston Red Sox in seven games in 1986. If Carlos Carassco pitches even slightly below his average performance over the last six seasons, and Francisco Lindor is simply Francisco Lindor, the Mets will be a scary team to face. And who knows? With Steve Cohen and the Mets still reportedly being involved in contract talks with free agent outfielder George Springer, they may not be finished making moves this winter. There’s a new King in Queens in 2021. Some know him as Francisco Lindor, others as Frankie Lindor. His fanbase will know him as the King who brought smiles to the people of Queens again.
