CLEVELAND — Francisco Lindor's days as a member of the Cleveland Indians are over. On Thursday, the team announced it has traded their four-time All-Star shortstop, as well as starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco, to the New York Mets.
Dating back to the start of the offseason, it has long been expected that Cleveland would be trading Lindor, who is entering his final season of arbitration and is expected to command one of baseball's biggest contracts once his current deal is up after the 2021 campaign. Although the Indians and Lindor had engaged in talks about a possible extension, the two sides were never able to close in on a deal.
The Mets, meanwhile, had emerged as one of the likeliest suitors for Lindor following owner Steve Cohen's purchase of the team. At his introductory press conference in November, Cohen alluded to making a big splash this offseason, by way of free agent signing or trade.
"I am not in this to be mediocre," Cohen said, according to The New York Post. "I want something great."
In return for Lindor and Carrasco, the Indians have received shortstops Amed Rosario and Andres Gimenez, right-handed pitcher Josh Wolf and outfielder Isaiah Greene from the Mets.
The 25-year-old Rosario has spent the past four seasons playing at the Major League level and hit for a .252 average (.43 OPS) in 46 games in 2020. The 21-year-old Gimenez appeared in 49 games for the Mets during the 2020 season, hitting for a .263 average (.732 OPS). Meanwhile, Wolf and Greene rank as the No. 9 and No. 10 prospects, respectively, in the Mets organization, per MLB.com.
Since making his debut with the Indians in 2015, Lindor made the All-Star Game in each of his four full seasons with the team (an All-Star Game wasn't played in 2020). In that span, the 27-year-old earned two Gold Glove Awards and two Silver Sluggers, becoming both a fan favorite and one of baseball's biggest stars.
Like Lindor, the 33-year-old Carrasco has spent his entire Major League career in Cleveland. In 2019, the right-hander was named the winner of the MLB's Roberto Clemente Award following his bout with leukemia, which cost him three months of the season.