Now with Mookie Betts in Los Angeles, the focus will shift to Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor. It’s been said that Lindor could be baseball’s next $400 million dollar man this side of Mike Trout.
Now – via Zack Meisel of Cleveland.com – Lindor is saying all the right things. Some of which he is saying that he doesn’t want to leave the Indians.
Francisco Lindor: "I want to stay in Cleveland. … I want to bring a championship to this city."
Lindor on his future, this season, the division, the payroll & more (plus candid comments from Chris Antonetti on the Indians' bid to keep him): https://t.co/MPKvaWhBY6
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) February 17, 2020
Remember, the homegrown superstar tasted some success with the organization in 2016. That year, the Indians came close to defeating the Chicago Cubs in an epic seven game World Series.
“I wanna win here. I wanna stay here. I wanna stay here in Cleveland. This is home. I’m not playing to get traded or to put myself in a good spot to get traded. I’m playing to win. I want to win here.”
However, as you read onward, we learn that Lindor wants to stay in Cleveland if the dollar amount is right.
“If the negotiations or whatever makes sense, it’s gonna happen,” Lindor said. “The team is not broke. The league is not broke. There’s money.”
Undeniably, I don’t know what the market for Lindor will be. With that being said, it’s obviously more than the Indians feel comfortable paying for whatever reason. Fans have been critical of ownership, and it’s hard to blame them. Lindor is the hopes of every young player when they start out at the prospect stage in an organization. For them to let him leave town or even more; trade him, would be really tough to swallow.
