It Sounds Like Francisco Lindor Won't Even Entertain Contract Extension Offers From The Indians.....Goodbye
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Well, this is what I've been afraid of since this whole Lindor mess began. I was hoping that the Indians were the ones that finally needed to come around to offering him $400 million or whatever it will take, but it sounds like it doesn't matter what the Indians are willing to offer, Lindor wants to hit free agency. And if he does hit free agency, cue Mariano Rivera's music. This one is game over.
This is another sad situation in a long line of examples about how no one, and I mean no one, wants to live and play in Cleveland, Ohio. It doesn't matter how much money we offer this guy, his eyes are set on the bright lights of New York or LA. But it's not even those destination spots that kill us. Remember just this past NBA trade deadline when the Pistons traded us Andre Drummond? The dude wasn't pissed because of the lack of loyalty in the NBA business side of things. He was pissed because he had to spent 3 months in Cleveland. And he was coming from Detroit!!!!!
I know I sit here and defend Ohio day after day after day after day, but my goodness, this one hurts. If we are willing to unload the checkbook and pay Lindor WHATEVER HE WANTS, it's a kick in the gut if he won't stay. We should be able to match the Yankees offer. We should be able to top whatever the deal is, and he should stay. This dude is our franchise right now. And it's going to suck when he walks......which it sounds like he is.......
And if this is the case, you gotta deal him before that happens, right? So we've got him for this year (if there is one). And we've got him for next year. And then he's gone. I hate to say it, but I would be picking up the phone right now calling every team in the league and saying "This is what it's going to cost to get him for the next two years. Or you can play roulette in 2022 and hope he's yours." Send it in a memo to the entire MLB. Put it on SportsCenter for the entire world to see. Someone will cave. Someone will come around.
The fact of the matter is that Francisco Lindor is an incredible talent with an all-time gravitational pull. As soon as he goes to New York or Boston or LA, he will be the most popular player in the MLB, bar none. He's got the name, he's got the talent, he's got the swagger, and he's got the smile. The dude is worth $450 million no doubt. But the problem is, he probably doesn't want it from Cleveland.
Woooof. Guess it's back to the drawing board. Draft and develop another young star. Milk him through arbitration and then watch him ride off into the sunset and win rings somewhere else. Lather, rinse, and repeat in Cleveland.