Francisco Lindor arrived at the party. Now, how do the Mets get him to stay?
The star-studded stop – the centerpiece of a stocking dissertation this week that also yielded pitcher Carlos Carrasco and sent Andres Gimenez, Amed Rosario, Isaiah Greene and Josh Wolf to Cleveland – is scheduled to hold a Zoom press conference on Monday. is asked about his future intentions. For now, the only certainty that he belongs to the Mets for 2021 is his last year before free agency.
The Post interviewed baseball agents, managers and insiders on Friday for a sense of Lindor’s magic for an extension of the contract that would keep him during his career in Queens.
The vast majority agreed that it would take a ten-year commitment to sign Lindor, who turned 27 in November. The total dollar value was between $ 290 million and $ 360 million. The average of all forecasts indicates a $ 320 million windfall, which Lindor will take from 2021 to 2030.
Such an agreement would exceed the $ 300 million 10-year contract that Manny Machado received from the Padres before the 2019 season. The latest monster contract last summer was Mookie Betts’ $ 365 million two-year deal with the Dodgers.
Competitive management predicted that Lindor would charge $ 390 million in 10 years.
“He has already turned down a large number of Indians, so he has high expectations,” the executive said, adding that he predicts Lindor will receive $ 350 million from the Mets in ten years.
An insider who predicted the low-end of the series at $ 290 million over ten years, said he believes Lindor wants to speed up the process.
“I think he wants to sign,” the informant said.
During the press conference to announce the deal, team president Sandy Alderson indicated that he would negotiate with Lindor’s agent in the coming weeks. If an agreement is not reached before the opening day, it would probably indicate that Lindor is on its way to free agency, in a potential historic market for shortstop talent. Corey Seager, Carlos Correa and Trevor Story are among the other shortcuts that could hit free agencies after the season.
One agent interviewed thought the Mets, with the richest owner in the sport, Steve Cohen, might want to wait until next season before making a serious offer. Cohen will, after all, be able to hold any other offer Lindor receives.
“I do not think they are making an offer unless it is really a club-friendly contract,” the agent said. “They would like to see him play in New York. You know how New York goes: Show me you can play in New York before I pay you. This is the attitude I would take if I were them. ”
The biggest Mets contract (in total dollars) is the $ 138 million extension that David Wright received before hitting the free agency after the 2012 season. Jacob deGrom is currently the highest paid Mets player as he begins the third season of a five-year contract extension worth $ 137.5 million.
According to another agent interviewed, Lindor’s motive should be to get a new contract, rather than accepting that the shortstop wants to play in New York. But the agent also suggested that the Mets should make a strong offer from the start.
‘You need to make it a no-brainer for [Lindor] to do so, ”the agent said. “But there are only so many teams that are going to pay this kind of dollars. There are only a handful of teams that can go to these levels. ”