3 players Mets could’ve traded for instead of Francisco Lindor

The Mets may now wish they had targeted a few other stars over Francisco Lindor this past offseason.

The New York Mets wanted to make a splash under new owner Steve Cohen. He told his front office to spend and they did just that by trading for Francisco Lindor and signing him to a 10-year, $341 million deal.

Fans in New York City are not exactly known for patience and are so far fuming over the shortstop’s slow start. Lindor is slashing .171/.289/.220 through 22 games and has only one home run and one double.

There is plenty of time to turn things around and Lindor has a decade to endear himself to fans in Queens. But this slow start does have fans wondering if the team should have targeted a different start this past offseason. Three players in particular stand out.

3. Trevor Story

The Colorado Rockies moved on from Nolan Arenado this offseason and even sent $50 million to St. Louis to sweeten the deal. Now Trevor Story is sitting in Denver likely counting down the days to sign elsewhere.

The Rockies re-signing Story would be a true shock given the dysfunction within the organization. For Mets fans, they may be left wondering if he would have been a better and cheaper option than Lindor.

Story was never going to get a $341 million deal. Lindor raised the bar and now the market is booming.

The Rockies shortstop is a two-time All-Star and has a career WAR of 23.3 at the start of his sixth MLB season. Landing him over Lindor could have left a spot open to chase another superstar talent without totally breaking the bank.

What the Mets also missed out on was swindling the Rockies in a Story deal. The Cardinals did just that for Arenado and the Mets may have been able to get the shortstop for less than what they paid Cleveland for Lindor.