Mets Acquire Francisco Lindor in Blockbuster Trade With Cleveland

Lindor has one year left on his contract before he will be eligible to enter free agency in 2021.

Raj Mehta/USA TODAY Sports

The Mets are finalizing a trade to acquire Cleveland shortstop Francisco Lindor, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. 

Cleveland is expected to receive young shortstops Andres Giménez and Ahmed Rosario as well as pitching prospect Josh Wolf and minor league outfielder Isaiah Greene, according to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo. 

Starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco is also expected to go to New York in the deal, per DiComo. 

Thursday's deal comes after months of speculation regarding a potential Lindor trade. Lindor has been the franchise's top player since entering the majors in 2015 but with his free agency looming in 2021, many believed Cleveland would trade Lindor before he hit the market.

Lindor is a four-time All-Star with three top-10 MVP finishes in his career. He posted a career-low .750 OPS last season but recorded 103 home runs and 329 runs scored from 2017-2019. 

Cleveland will receive a pair of potential starting middle infielders along with the two prospects. Rosario tallied 177 hits in 157 games in 2019, leading MLB in triples. Giménez posted a .732 OPS in just 132 plate appearances last year, though he previously ranked No. 3 on the Mets' prospect list.

Acquiring Lindor is the second offseason splash for new Mets owner Steve Cohen. New York signed catcher James McCann to a four-year, $40 million deal in December. New York is still reportedly in the running to sign free-agent outfielder George Springer.

The Mets finished fourth in the NL East in 2020 at 26–34 and have missed the playoffs in each of the last four years.