Ever since Gerrit Cole signed with the New York Yankees, MLB’s hot sove has been quiet. However, there are trade rumors surrounding Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor.
Lindor is entering his next-to-last season of arbitration control. There are trade rumors out there because Lindor is expected to have a big price tag on the free-agent market.
The Cincinnati Reds have talked to the Indians about a Lindor trade, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
The Reds are the latest team to engage with the Indians about a potential Francisco Lindor trade, per source. It’s unclear if there’s any traction, but Reds have been aggressive on trade market before (Bauer, Puig) and have attractive trade chips (Senzel, India among them).
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) December 19, 2019
The Reds join the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers as teams interested in Lindor.
So, where will Lindor be in 2020?
Possible Trade Partners
If the Dodgers want Lindor, they could send the Indians prospects like Dustin May, Gavin Lux, or Alex Verdugo. However, the Dodgers are unlikely to give up Lux while Verdugo had a good rookie year. While Lindor could help the Dodgers win a World Series, they would have to give up a lot to get him.
The Indians would also get prospects if they traded Lindor to the Reds. The prospects that the Indians could get from the Reds include second baseman/outfielder Nick Senzel and third baseman Jonathan India, among others. The Reds want to contend in the National League and believe that Lindor, along with Mike Moustakas, can get them there.
Trading Lindor to the Reds might be the best thing to do if the Indians were to trade him. That’s because the Indians like Senzel a lot and could get him if they send Lindor to Cincinnati.
Regarding Lindor, Indians are said to like Nick Senzel very much. Haven’t actually heard of a lot of talk between the teams yet but doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Interesting note from @Feinsand
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 19, 2019
Prediction
Lindor will not be traded and will be with the Indians next year. According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the Indians want to keep Lindor and be patient when it comes to trading the star.
Hear Indians prefer not to deal Francisco Lindor, to wait a year on a trade. Which really isn’t surprising. Interest has to be huge, however.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 9, 2019
The Indians would have to get an offer that they can’t refuse in order to trade Lindor. It doesn’t look like any team can do that, so Lindor will be an Indian in 2020.
