Reports Indicate Indians Closer to Moving Francisco Lindor; Taking "Final Offers" for Shortstop

The Francisco Lindor era in Cleveland may be coming to an end as reports indicate the Indians are taking 'final offers' for the All-Star shortstop.

If you’ve purchased Indians merchandise featuring All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor on it to give as a Christmas gift, you might want to save your receipt.

Indications from various reports late on Thursday indicate that the Indians, despite the claim that Lindor is expected to be the team’s opening day starter at shortstop, are set to deal the 26-year-old and are fielding ‘final’ offers for him.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic stated on the site Thursday that talks about Lindor ‘appear to be reaching a critical stage.’

The report went on to say that the Indians are telling teams in the mix for the shortstop that they ‘want each team’s best and final offers so they can make an assessment over the weekend.’

While Rosenthal says that even with the Indians wanting ‘final offers’ it’s not a done deal that Lindor is going to get moved right away, but it does seem to foreshadow that the team is going to move him sooner than later.

A tweet from popular tweeter “Incarcerated Bob” said Thursday that the San Diego Padres made a ‘quality’ offer for Lindor, and that the Indians were ‘sleeping on it.’

He pointed out in the same tweet that the Reds, Dodgers and Yankees were all involved in talks for Lindor.

Sunday after the team dealt two-time Cy Young award winner Corey Kluber to the Texas Rangers, Indians team President Chris Antonetti stated in a conference call when asked about Lindor that he has “every expectation that Francisco Lindor will be our starting shortstop on opening day next year."

One has to wonder if between Sunday and yesterday if Antonetti was given instruction by ownership to do whatever they could to get the best package for Lindor, saving the team his 2020 salary, which could be about $14 million once he goes to arbitration.

Lindor’s 2019 salary was 10.5 million, and he will be due for another raise for 2020.

It just feels like where there is smoke, there is fire, and it feels like Indians fans will be spending Christmas without the popular Lindor on the team’s roster with the way things seem to be trending at the moment.