When newly announced owner Steve Cohen bought the New York Mets, he made it clear that they would make big moves. It was clear that the Mets would make a splash this offseason, whether it was in free agency or via trades.
The New York Mets have acquired shortstop Francisco Lindor and starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco from Cleveland. In return, the Indians will receive infielder Andrés Giménez, infielder Amed Rosario, right-handed pitching prospect Josh Wolf, and prospect outfielder Isaiah Greene.
Mark Feinsand, of MLB dot com, posted the press release from the trade onto Twitter:
The Lindor deal has been announced: pic.twitter.com/QBQQxi3eEO
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) January 7, 2021
In 2020, Lindor played in 60 games for the Indians, where he hit .258/.335/.415 with eight home runs and 27 RBI for Cleveland. He’s now a six-year veteran of the big leagues, having two gold glove awards and two silver slugger awards, as well as four all-star nominations. He is one of the game’s most gifted shortstops.
The kicker with Lindor is that he will be a free agent after the 2021 season. He will then hit free agency, meaning the Mets will have him through this year and have to make a decision. Based on the shipping out of infielders, pre-dominantly their shortstop in Rosario, Cohen seems to want Lindor to be around for the long haul.
The Mets are also getting a phenomenal arm in the form of Carlos Carrasco; he also comes with one of the best stories of battling through adversity there is. After a battle with leukemia, Carrasco has been able to return to the mound.
In 2020, Carrasco would pitch in 12 games, accumulating 68.0 innings pitched. He had a 2.91 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP while striking out 82 opposing hitters. He now joins an absolutely stacked starting rotation that will be primed to compete. Those interested in sports betting and futures bets, take a look at the Mets.
On the return to Cleveland, they got fleeced. Isaiah Greene and Josh Wolf are both prospect players who could pan out nicely. Greene has more upside as it stands, but both of them were drafted out of high school in the 2019 and 2020 drafts, respectively.
