Mets insider gives big update on Francisco Lindor trade rumors

New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor first became the subject of trade rumors this past May, roughly two months before New York sports radio legend Mike Francesa recently claimed that the Mets were "trying" to move Lindor ahead of the Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline. 

Well-known MLB insider Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic later said that he had "not heard" that the Mets have made Lindor available. On Thursday morning, Mets reporter Tim Britton of The Athletic shared an update on Lindor's situation. 

Why rumors about potential Francisco Lindor trade hover over the Mets this summer

"Nothing in our reporting has indicated that the Mets will try to trade him," Britton said about Lindor. "That said, this season has gone poorly enough that you can’t definitively rule out a major change."

The Mets began Thursday with a record of 39-54 in what's been a disastrous campaign for the club. While questions about Lindor's relationship with star outfielder Juan Soto have seemingly grown louder since last fall, Mets owner Steve Cohen recently insisted that neither player will be "going anywhere" anytime soon.

Lindor and the Mets agreed to a 10-year contract extension worth up to $341M shortly before the 2021 season got underway. According to Britton, "there are only a select few teams that would take on Lindor’s contract" this summer. 

"The Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox stand out as potential, albeit unlikely, fits, and they’d probably want to send back a big contract in the deal," Britton added about a potential Lindor trade. 

When could the Mets realistically trade Francisco Lindor?

Cohen reportedly wants "to win again in 2027." Britton noted that "Lindor is still very much the long-term everyday shortstop for the Mets," as "there is no one in the system ready to challenge him for that role." Thus, one would think that trading Lindor now would signal the Mets punting on next season, something Cohen allegedly isn't keen on doing. 

However, Britton did point out that "it will be much easier" for the Mets to potentially trade Lindor during the offseason. In short, whispers about a possible Lindor trade may not fully disappear after Aug. 3.