Any trade involving Francisco Lindor & Carlos Carrasco is painful – Indians Scribbles, Terry Pluto
Carrasco #Carrasco
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Scribbles in my notebook after the Indians traded Carlos Carrasco and Francisco Lindor to the Mets for four players: Amed Rosario, Andres Gimenez, Josh Wolf and Isaiah Greene.
1. Most Tribe fans had to know this was coming. But it still hurts to see Lindor and Carrasco traded to the Mets for players who are not known to most fans. And it hurts because it’s because the Indians couldn’t find a way to sign Lindor to a long-term contract.
2. Tribe President Chris Antonetti said “This trade is really hard to make, but it’s the right thing for us.” The Indians didn’t want to let Lindor play out the season in the final year of his contract and then leave via free agency. The longer they kept Lindor, the more his trade value dropped.
3. Trades such as this are so hard to evaluate. I don’t know what else was offered. I don’t know much about the four players coming to Cleveland. Lindor is a superstar shortstop and Carrasco one of the better starting pitchers in the Majors. We know them well. The four guys from the Mets are strangers.
4. The Indians would rather make a deal like this and add four young players than allow Lindor to leave after the 2021 and receive only a draft pick in return. In Rosario and Gimenez, the Indians received two young infielders who can possibly start at second and shortstop.
5. The 21-year-old Gimenez has defense “as his calling card” at short, according to Antonetti. Gimenez skipped over the Class AAA level and batted .263 (.732 OPS) for the Mets. He was 8-of-9 in stolen bases. Gimenez made only one error in 22 games at short. He also played 19 at second base, 10 games at third base.
6. Rosario is only 25. He’s been in the Majors for the last four seasons, batting .268 (.705 OPS). His best year was 2019, hitting .287 (.755 OPS) with 15 HR and 72 RBI. He has played exclusively short in the Majors.
7. Tribe GM Mike Chernoff said the team likes the combination of having two big-league ready infielders (Gimenez and Rosario), “immediate value” as he called it, along with two prospects. Those are Wolf an Greene.
8. The prospects are low-minor leaguers. Wolf was the Mets second-round pick in 2019 and pitched only eight innings in rookie ball that season. Because of no minor leagues in 2020, he didn’t play. The right-hander has a 96 mph fastball, according to Antonetti.
9. Greene is only 19, an outfielder who was the Mets second-round pick in 2020. This will be his first pro season. When it comes to Wolf and Greene, who knows? Lots of patience is required.
10. Why was Carrasco in the deal? Carrasco has two years $27 million left on his contract. So money was a factor. The Indians have depth of starting pitching, and believed they could afford to deal Carrasco. Carrasco will be 34 on March 21. He had a good season (3-4, 2.91 ERA) in 2020. He bounced back from leukemia in 2019.
11. The Mets wanted Carrasco not only as a member of their rotation, but also because he is under a multi-year deal. They didn’t want to trade four promising players and have Lindor leave after a year. Carrasco gives them some long-term protection, something to show for the deal in case Lindor leaves New York. I had heard Lindor didn’t want to play in New York. That was in spring training. Who knows where things stand now.
12. MLB’s lack of a salary cap combined with the pandemic financially crushed teams such as the Tribe. Tampa Bay didn’t pick up the $15 million option on Charlie Morton and traded Blake Snell to San Diego. Finances led the the Rays parting with their two top starters after going to the World Series.
13. Antonetti said: “The reality is the system we have, and our responsibility is to build the best team we can under the system.”
14. The Indians want to avoid a massive rebuild. That is why they have been trading some of their expensive veterans over the last few years. But dealing Lindor will be devastating to the fan base.
15. Antonetti did say the deals to cut payroll are over. The Indians will save about $30 million on this trade, and Antonetti stressed the team would “reinvest” at least some of that in future moves. They still need outfielders and a big bat. I tend to trust the Tribe’s front office on these deals because their track record is strong.
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