In case you were wondering if the Mets and Francisco Lindor were close to a deal, just about ready to sign, booking an appointment for the physical and a room for the news conference, here’s the latest:
They are not.
With Lindor’s self-imposed Opening Day deadline coming on Thursday, the sides have engaged in serious negotiations and the Mets have offered more than $300 million, according to people directly involved.
But two events that occurred over the weekend did not -- despite appearances and assumptions -- signify that an agreement was near. On Friday, team owner Steve Cohen published a playful tweet crowdsourcing the negotiations. And on Sunday, word emerged that Cohen and Lindor had dined together.
Despite all that, we can tell you definitively that the sides are simply not on the verge of a deal at this time.
Don’t fret, Mets fans who want this extension to happen (and that seems like most of you). Here’s what sources believe could still change to make it so. It’s simple. Ready? Someone could pick up the phone and start a conversation in which Lindor’s agent says he’s ready to sign. Then they could hammer out final details.
At this point, those details might have to stretch a day or two into the season. It’s not like with Jacob deGrom two years ago, when the Mets and deGrom’s agents spent the final days of spring training hunkering down to complete an extension. It’s not even like Trevor Bauer yet, whom the Mets nearly signed last month.
At the moment, Lindor and the Mets are not hunkering. They’re waiting to see if one call gets the talks rolling again.
As Cohen himself tweeted on Monday, "Well, we have a deadline Mar 31, today is the 29th. It either will or won’t in the next two days.”
Cohen is being straight with the public. That’s exactly what sources involved say behind the scenes: Maybe this happens, and maybe it doesn’t. We shall see.