The New York Mets are open for business outside of Juan Soto and a few young players under club control, which means a few interesting big names could be available ahead of the August 3rd trade deadline.
None more than Five-time All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor, who has been generating plenty of buzz around the baseball world in recent days as the Mets’ season has continued to spiral out of control.
The Toronto Blue Jays could use an elite defensive shortstop who typically provides above-average value with the bat as well, but will they go after Lindor? ESPN insider Jeff Passan suggests they’ll definitely make the call, but that some hurdles stand in the way of landing him.
“Absolutely they’ll make the call on it. The big question if you’re the Toronto Blue Jays right now when it comes to Francisco Lindor is do we wanna trade for an up the middle player who’s going to be 33-years-old in November. The production has been consistently awesome, like when Francisco Lindor is right he’s an annual 6 WAR player. He is a great defensive shortstop who hits about 30% more than league average, but as he gets older will he lose a step? I think for now would it be a beneficial move absolutely? The issue is that you’re not going to get Francisco Lindor on a contract dump, you’re going to have to pay. Do the Jays wanna give up someone like Arjun Nimmala?”
The 32-year-old Lindor has another six years remaining on the 10-year, $341 million contract extension he signed with the Mets back in 2021. He’s hitting just .210 with five home runs and 12 RBI through 41 games played this season.
Lindor would absolutely come with some risk given his age and contract, but the Blue Jays are lacking high-end talent in their lineup, and that’s something he still possesses.
Combine that need with the fact that Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro know Lindor well from their days in Cleveland, and you can certainly see why there is a potential fit in Toronto.
With the way this season has gone, the Blue Jays need to do something to change things, and it just might take getting out of their comfort zone with a move like Lindor to spark a turnaround.
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