How an Indians playoff run could impact Francisco Lindor’s future
Francisco Lindor’s future in Cleveland remains up in the air but could a long postseason run provide some clarity for the All-Star shortstop?
The Cleveland Indians have failed to achieve the ultimate goal of winning a World Series since 1948. The quest begins once again Tuesday in what is arguably the most unique postseason in MLB history.
Cleveland fans are also curious if this will be Francisco Lindor‘s final playoff run with the team. He has one year of arbitration remaining in 2021 before he hits free agency and demands a mega-deal.
The team has shown no indication of giving him such a deal and it seems likely he could be traded this offseason. Could a deep postseason run change that fate?
Francisco Lindor on the clock
Lindor made the All-Star Game every year from 2016-2019 in what represented the best Indians squads seen since the late 90s. Now the team has one of the best records in baseball in 2020 and the shortstop had another solid season, slashing .258/.335/.415 in 60 games played.
2020 is obviously a bizarre year and there are questions in Cleveland of whether a World Series title this year would count as breaking the drought. There is no logical reason why it shouldn’t considering the expanded postseason and the difficulty to navigate the entire year. It seems like more of an achievement than ever.
What winning in Cleveland may also do is allow the team to trade Lindor without as much criticism. Moving him at all is going to bring flak to ownership. However, making a trade after ending a painful title drought softens the blow and allows the team to save money and build the next core in town.
Anything short of that and trading Lindor looks awful. That is true of a first-round sweep or another loss in a World Series. The organization has shown no signs of giving him the deal he wants and the Cleveland front office is known for not breaking on their initial stances.
Overall, there is no likely scenario in which Lindor gets a record deal in Cleveland. The only way that happens is if ownership shocks everyone in Northeast Ohio and decides to spend. That would be a welcome surprise but remains incredibly unlikely.
Unfortunately, it does not appear a deep run changes the reality of the situation. The question then becomes whether he gets moved this offseason or they keep him up to the 2021 trade deadline.
This comes off as a major bummer for Indians fans. Yet this should still not be a surprise. The team doesn’t hand out deals worth over $300 million or even $100 million for that matter. The fact Jose Ramirez is playing like an MVP and Shane Bieber looks like a true ace supports the idea of continuing to build from within to keep costs low.
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All Indians fans can do now is enjoy Lindor while he is here. Ownership actually provided that quote, for what it’s worth, but it remains true. One final run as a group may provide extra motivation as well.