The New York Mets are trying to make sure that Francisco Lindor does not make it to MLB free agency. The club reportedly made him their first long-term extension offer this week, just a few months after landing him in a massive deal from Cleveland.
The early report is that no deal is close between the two sides. The initial offer made to Frankie was just below $300 million according to sources surrounding the situation. Lindor’s camp came back with a figure “well over” that $300 million mark.
That number would not be unheard of in recent years in terms of long deals. Manny Machado, Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, and Fernando Tatis Jr have all received deals north of $300 million just within the last few years.
The length of those deals all vary, though 10ish years seems to be a nice round number. Lindor is 27 years old, so he could presumably get a deal almost into his 40s. Lindor has said in recent weeks that he would like to cut off extension talks as soon as the season starts. That seems to be a theme with players in contract years in 2021, looking to focus on the season ahead.
If he were to head to free agency, Lindor would join an elite class of MLB shortstops looking for deals. Javy Baez, Corey Seager, Trevor Story, and Carlos Correa will all be up for grabs if they do not sign extensions with their teams.
The Mets have also been looking to extend outfielder Michael Conforto while they negotiate with Francisco Lindor.
