Francisco Lindor Signs Extension with the Mets

One of, if not the biggest offseason moves, has been the trade that sent Short Stop Francisco Lindor from the Cleveland Indians to the New York Mets. 

He is arguably the best Short Stop in baseball. A switch hitter with 40 home run potential and also has two Gold Gloves to his resume. It’s not just his play that teammates and fans will fall in love with, the energy and charisma Lindor brings to the table are hard to match. Playing in New York means more pressure than any other city in baseball. Lindor is the guy that can handle the pressure.

Lindor was in the last year of his contract and was set to test free agency for the first time in his career unless the Mets extended him. The trade the Mets made would have been a failure if Lindor walked after just one year. Lindor set a deadline to get a deal done for Opening Day because he does not negotiate contracts during a season. The pressure was on the Mets front office and especially new owner Steve Cohen who has gone public with a lot of moves on his Twitter. Around midnight on MLB’s Opening Day, it was announced that the Mets had locked up their off-season acquisition. 

Francisco Lindor signed a 10-year contract with the Mets worth $341 million along with having a limited no-trade clause. The contract includes a $21 million signing bonus, along with a $32 million salary, and no opt-outs for this lengthy contract. 

Lindor will also be receiving $5 million of deferred money starting in 2032 and going all the way until 2041. 

The $341 million puts Lindor third in MLB history for the biggest contract extensions ever given to a player (Mookie Betts 1st, Mike Trout 2nd.) 

This upcoming free agency will feature the best Shortstop class in history which will include Trevor Story, Corey Seager, Carlos Correa and Javier Baez. It was probably a smart move on Lindor’s end to take a deal now just to make sure that he secured the biggest bag possible. 

Now that Lindor is locked up for the Mets over the next decade, this should give Mets fans the insurance they have been looking for. 

The Mets are a big market team once again. 

The extension of Lindor should help with other players wanting to come over and play for the Mets. Even though Trevor Bauer did not sign with the Mets, it is well documented that the Mets offered the most money in their negotiations with him. With that being said, the Mets are not only looking to give Lindor a lucrative contract, but they are trying to build around him. 

At his first press conference since signing the extension, Lindor couldn’t help but express how excited he was to get the deal done.

“When you drive down the highway and you see the billboard with the Powerball that says $300 million,” he told his father, “imagine you getting that right now. You’re going to tell me you’re not going to scream? I’m going to scream. I want to scream.”

It will be interesting to see how this plays out for the Mets, but only time will tell if Lindor will be a “bad mother f***er.”