Cleveland has a perfect opportunity to trade Francisco Lindor

With a shortened season bringing lower expectations, Cleveland has the perfect opportunity to painlessly trade shortstop Francisco Lindor.

Cleveland Indians owner Paul Dolan has been noncommittal regarding star shortstop Francisco Lindor’s future with the team, per Sports Illustrated, and with the 26-year-old set for free agency after 2021, the front office would be wise to cut its losses and trade him for a haul of young players.

Luckily, the highly irregular 2020 season provides the perfect set of circumstances to do so. With the regular season reduced to 60 games due to the coronavirus pandemic and labor strife potentially casting a cloud over 2021, trading Lindor to a contender immediately is likely the best course of action.

While fans assuredly want the team to re-sign its star to a lucrative deal, Dolan’s comments and Cleveland’s history make it seem unlikely. In that case, trading him in 2020 will allow Cleveland to both recoup market value and take advantage of lower expectations.

Just a few years removed from a World Series appearance, the roster is nowhere near as talented as its 2016 iteration. With uncertainty abounding as to whether the 2020 season will even finish as the coronavirus pandemic rages, Cleveland can essentially punt on 2020 in favor of building for the future.

For Lindor’s suitors, on the other hand, trading for him could seal a playoff appearance in what is sure to be a tight all-around race, and his contract status makes him more than just a one-year rental, and, therefore, still an attractive option.

While Cleveland may still hold onto Lindor simply because of how tumultuous the 2020 season is likely to be, trading him immediately aligns more with the team’s timeline. Trevor Bauer, Andrew Miller, Edwin Encarnacion, and Josh Donaldson are all gone, and Cleveland’s title window is all but closed. By sending Lindor, a homegrown talent, to another team in 2020, Cleveland can get an early start on building for the future.