CLEVELAND — The situation with Francisco Lindor is complicated and is really a timing issue.
If you're the New York Yankees, you are banging your heads against the wall because you keep going to the American League Championship Series, and you keep losing.
You say you're a big hitting team, but you don't hit when it matters most.
So if you are the 'Bronx Bombers,' and you look at the shortstop position in the future, you see someone like Francisco Lindor who could become one of the cornerstones of the franchise. The Yankees need Frankie, but they don't want to wait two years to get him once Lindor is eligible for free agency.
The bottom line is the Yankees want to put themselves first in line to get the 4-time All-Star shortstop. So they call the Tribe.
So what do the Indians do? And when do they make a move?
Do you just keep playing Lindor and let things ride for the next season or two? It's been known that Lindor was a little upset at the end of this past season for two reasons. First, the Tribe wasn't performing up to the standards of a playoff team, which disappointed Frankie. And of course, Lindor wants his money. He is playing on a contract that he feels is underneath his level of talent and wants to get paid the big money. And he doesn't want to wait around for a couple of years.
Can the Yankees give the Indians a big enough package of players to entice them to make the deal now?
If that happens, then the Indians will have to deal with the public outrage of Francisco Lindor leaving. That puts the Tribe into the position of feeling like a Triple A feeding system. Remember the backlash the team faced a decade ago when they dealt popular stars like Cliff Lee, C.C. Sabathia, and Victor Martinez.
It's tough watching Yan Gomes and Michael Brantley play in the World Series for different teams.
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Can you imagine seeing Francisco Lindor play in the World Series in pinstripes? There's going to be a huge backlash if that happens. That backlash would come at a very important time of the year when the Indians try to entice fans to buy or renew season tickets.
It's tricky.
The Yankees want Lindor now. The Indians want the best package possible.
If it can all meet in one place, it could happen. And it could happen soon.
