Francisco Lindor has arrived at the party. Now how do the Mets get to let him stay?
The star shortstop – the centerpiece of a blockbuster trade this week that also brought pitcher Carlos Carrasco and sent Andres Gimenez, Amed Rosario, Isaiah Greene and Josh Wolf to Cleveland – is scheduled to hold a Zoom press conference on Monday, at what time questions will be asked. be asked about his future intentions. For now, the only certainty is that he will be a member of the Mets before 2021, his last year for free agency.
The Post polled agents, baseball managers and insiders on Friday to get an idea of what Lindor’s magic number could be for a contract extension that would keep him in Queens throughout his career.
The vast majority agreed it would take a 10-year commitment to sign Lindor, who turned 27 in November. The estimated total dollar value was between $ 290 million and $ 360 million. The average of all estimates suggested a windfall of $ 320 million, which will take Lindor from 2021 to 2030.
Such a deal would surpass the $ 300 million 10-year contract Manny Machado received from the Padres before the 2019 season. The most recent monster contract was Mookie Betts’ 12-year deal with the Dodgers last summer worth $ 365 million.
A rival manager predicted that Lindor would charge $ 390 million in 10 years.
“He’s already turned down a good number of the Indians, so he has high hopes,” said the director, adding that he predicts Lindor will receive $ 350 million from the Mets over 10 years.
An insider who predicted the lower end of the range, at $ 290 million over 10 years, said he believed Lindor wants to speed up the process.
“I think he wants to sign,” said the insider.
During the press conference to announce the trade, team president Sandy Alderson said he expected to begin negotiations with Lindor’s agent in the coming weeks. If no agreement is reached before opening day, it would likely suggest Lindor is heading for a free agency, in a potential historic market for shortstop talent. Corey Seager, Carlos Correa and Trevor Story are among the other shortstops that can hit free agency after the season.
One broker surveyed thought that the Mets, with the richest owner in the sport, Steve Cohen, might want to wait until the next off-season before making a serious offer. After all, Cohen would be able to top any other offer Lindor received.
“I don’t think they’ll make an offer unless it’s a really club-friendly contract,” the broker said. “They’ll want to see him play in New York. You know how New York is gonna show me you can play in New York before I pay you. That’s the attitude I’d take if I were them. “
The largest Mets contract (in terms of total dollars) is the $ 138 million extension that David Wright received before going on free agency after the 2012 season. Jacob deGrom is currently the highest paid Mets player as he enters the third season of a five-year contract extension worth $ 137.5 million.
Lindor’s motive, according to another broker surveyed, should be to get a new contract sooner rather than later, assuming of course that the shortstop wants to play in New York. But the broker also suggested that the Mets should make a strong offer from the start.
‘You have to make this a no-brainer [Lindor] to do it, ”the officer said. But there are only a limited number of teams that will pay these kinds of dollars. There are only a handful of teams that can advance to these levels. “