The Mets were "in the mix" among teams interested in trading for Indians superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor, but bowed out because they felt the asking price was too high, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
According to Tim Healey of Newsday, that included the Indians "repeatedly" asking for for Jeff McNeil as part of the potential package.
McNeil, who is under team control through 2024 and won't even hit arbitration until 2022, has significant value. So it should come as no surprise that the Indians pushed for him.
SNY's Andy Martino noted that the talks the Mets had with the Indians about Lindor were similar to ones they had with the Astros regarding Carlos Correa. Basically, the Mets will look into every big name available to explore whether or not it's possible to find a fit.
Rosenthal added that the Indians have asked teams for final offers on Lindor, while noting it doesn't necessarily mean they will trade their biggest star.
When it comes to the Mets, as was the case with Correa, it never seemed like Lindor was the perfect fit. That's to take nothing away from Lindor.
At just 26 years old, Lindor a switch-hitter who has slashed .288/.347/.493 during his five-year career while also being a true impact defender at shortstop. He has immense value and the Indians are right to be asking for a huge return.
But Lindor is under team control for just two more seasons and will make roughly $17 million this season via arbitration before his salary likely rises substantially in 2021 during what is his final year of arbitration.
If the Indians were willing to extend a 72-hour extension window to a team that trades for Lindor (and Lindor was willing to sign an extension as a condition of that trade), this could be a different story. But there hasn't yet been any indication that something like that would be on the table.
With the Mets now likely out on Lindor, they are expected to enter the season with Amed Rosario at shortstop. Rosario, 24, hit .287/.323/.432 with 15 homers, 30 doubles, seven triples, and 19 stolen bases in 157 games in 2019 during what was his most complete season in the majors.
Again, Rosario is not Lindor. Not even close. But with Rosario, the Mets have a young, under control, dynamic shortstop who just started tapping into his offensive potential this past season -- and who made substantial progress on the defensive side of things.
If the Mets are going to swing for the fences for an impact player via trade, there are better places to look -- specifically toward Colorado and Nolan Arenado.