Revisiting the Mets Trade for Francisco Lindor Four Years Later

Four years after the Mets acquired shortstop Francisco Lindor from the Guardians, how has this blockbuster trade panned out on both sides?

Oct 20, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) celebrates in the dugout after scoring in the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game six of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

When Steve Cohen bought the New York Mets nearly five years ago, he made it clear that he wanted to turn the franchise around and win its first World Series since 1986.

Cohen's first step in doing so was executing arguably one of the Mets' biggest trades in team history by acquiring All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor from the Cleveland Guardians; this blockbuster deal also netted New York veteran starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco.

Now, with Tuesday being exactly four years since that massive trade, just how well has that move panned out for both sides?

Four years ago today, Francisco Lindor became a New York Met.

Good trade? pic.twitter.com/eUnn6zYZYu

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) January 7, 2025

Despite Lindor being one of the league's best shortstops and Carrasco also being a reliable veteran pitcher, New York gave up some solid talent of their own. The most notable players were former top prospect Amed Rosario, who was the team's starting shortstop since the start of the 2018 season, and infielder Andrés Giménez, who showed promise for the Mets during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Two more prospects, outfielder Isaiah Greene and pitcher Josh Wolf, were sent from New York to Cleveland, but they have yet to appear in a major league game.

Despite Lindor's and Carrasco's disappointing first seasons in Queens, the trade definitely appears to be in the Mets' favor, especially with Rosario and Giménez no longer playing in Cleveland.

2021 was not the season Lindor and Carrasco envisioned. Carrasco actually began the season on the injured list after tearing his hamstring during spring training, which kept him on the shelf until July 30. In 12 starts, the righty went just 1-5 with a 6.04 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, and just 50 strikeouts in 53.2 innings of work.

As for Lindor, his first season with the Mets was also a disappointment and possibly the worst of his career; early struggles on offense to begin the year resulted in him being booed on multiple occasions. Even though Lindor had his first career three-home run game in a Subway Series matchup against the New York Yankees on September 12, he slashed a career-low .230/.322/.412 with 20 home runs and 63 RBI in 125 regular season games.

Meanwhile in Cleveland, Rosario had a solid first season for the Guardians by batting .282/.321/.409 with 11 home runs and 57 RBI in 141 games. However, despite being named the team's starting shortstop at the beginning of the year, Giménez struggled and spent most of the season in the minor leagues.

With Mets fans worried about Lindor's and Carrasco's first-year struggles and Rosario's good first year in Cleveland, it initially seemed that the Guardians were emerging as the winner of the trade.

But all of those concerns with Lindor were quickly erased in 2022. Missing just one game, Lindor batted .270/.339/.449 with 26 home runs and 107 RBI, with his RBI count ranking as the fifth-most in all of baseball; he was also named to the All-MLB Second Team that year. Carrasco also calmed some nerves in 2022 with a major bounce back season, going 15-7 in 29 starts with a 3.97 ERA and 152 strikeouts in 152 innings pitched. This led to the Mets picking up his vesting option for 2023.

Although Carrasco struggled to a 3-8 record and 6.80 ERA in 20 starts in 2023 (his last season with the Mets), Lindor provided a historic campaign by swatting 31 home runs and stealing 31 bases, joining the 30-30 club. He additionally hit .254/.336/.470 and scored 108 runs.

2024, however, would be Lindor's best year yet; in his age-30 season, the shortstop finished second in NL MVP voting by slashing .273/.344/.500 with 33 home runs, 91 RBI, 107 runs scored, and 29 stolen bases, along with a career-best 137 wRC+ and 7.8 fWAR (tied with his 2018 season). A season-saving home run against the Braves on September 30 (the penultimate game of the regular season) and a go-ahead grand slam against the Phillies in Game 4 of the NLDS would cement Lindor's status as a fan favorite in Queens.

As for the Guardians, Rosario and Giménez enjoyed successful 2022 seasons, with Rosario leading MLB with nine triples and Giménez making his first All-Star team. However, both have struggled since 2023 (particularly Rosario) and have since left the team.

Rosario was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the 2023 trade deadline and then signed with the Tampa Bay Rays on a one-year deal last offseason; he only appeared in 76 games and hit .307/.331/.417 before being shipped back to the Dodgers during this past year's trade deadline. Rosario only lasted five games in his second stint with the Dodgers before he was designated for assignment; he would finish the season with the Cincinnati Reds, where he only hit .158/.186/.211 in 22 games.

While Gimenéz showed much more promise for Cleveland as he played north of 150 games in 2023 and 2024, winning the AL Platinum Glove in the former year, he was unable to replicate the offensive success he put up in 2022. Giménez was ultimately traded to the Toronto Blue Jays on December 10, 2024, marking the end of his tenure with the Guardians.

Even though Greene is still in the Guardians minor league system and hoping to get a crack at the big league level, Wolf struggled during his time there and was released in May 2024 after posting a 5.11 ERA for High–A Lake County. He was signed by the San Francisco Giants four days later.

With Gimenéz on a new team and Rosario still a free agent this offseason, it's hard not to name the Mets as the clear winners in this move. Despite Carrasco's struggles outside of 2022, Lindor has been everything the Mets could have hoped for, as it looks like the 31-year-old shortstop is playing the baseball of his career right now.