The MLB offseason has been busy. We have seen star players move to different teams all over the league. Starting pitchers Yu Darivsh and Blake Snell were moved to San Diego, Josh Bell went to Washington and Carlos Santana signed with Kansas City. In the biggest move of the offseason so far, Cleveland traded two of their stars, Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco, to the New York Mets.
Carlos Carrasco, Francisco Lindor Trade Details
The Cleveland Indians have involved star shortstop, Francisco Lindor, in trade talks for a couple years now. They finally pulled the trigger, sending him to the Mets. The Indians also included one of their best pitchers in Carlos Carrasco. In return, the Mets send shortstops Amed Rosario and Andres Gimenez, as well as pitcher Josh Wolf and outfielder Isaiah Greene.
Impact for the Indians
The obvious consequence here is that Cleveland lost Lindor, one of the best players in the MLB. After losing 1B/C/DH Carlos Santana in free agency and shopping Lindor the last couple of years, it seems imminent that Cleveland has gone into rebuilding mode.
The best piece that the Indians were compensated with is 25-year-old shortstop Amed Rosario. He has a career batting average of .268, an on base percentage of .302 and an OPS of .705. Rosario should immediately slide to the middle infield for Cleveland, and although he won’t be Lindor, he is one of the better young shortstops in the MLB.
Andres Gimenez is also an interesting, young piece for Cleveland. Last season, Gimenez finished seventh in Rookie of the Year voting in the National League, despite only playing in 49 games. Gimenez has all of the tools to be a future All-Star and a cornerstone for the Indians to build their franchise around.
Josh Wolf and Isaiah Greene are two prospects that Cleveland now has the rights to. In getting rid of Lindor and Carrasco, it seems likely that Cleveland will need to bolster their farm system. Wolf and Greene are two good additions that should pay dividends for years to come in Cleveland.
Impact for the Mets
The Mets won this trade. Lindor is a 27-year-old switch hitting shortstop that who excels both offensively and defensively. While with the Indians, Lindor was awarded with two gold gloves, two silver sluggers and four all star appearances. Lindor has a .285 career batting average, .346 on base percentage and .833 OPS. Lindor should fill a role as an offensive producer, something that the Mets have greatly lacked in recent years. He is also one of the most popular players in the league. Lindor should be welcomed with open arms to a franchise who has been struggling to find an identity in recent years.
The Mets were smart in adding Carrasco to the deal. This allows them to solidify their starting rotation with five quality starters. Carrasco was an anchor in the Cleveland rotation, providing them with 88 wins, a 3.77 ERA and 1,305 strikeouts. He was a big part of why Cleveland went to the World Series in 2016. With Carrasco, the Mets now have one of the best starting rotations in the MLB. Headlined by Jacob deGrom, Carrasco joins Marcus Stroman and Noah Syndergaard in their rotation.
After the trade, the Mets look like one of the better teams in the National League. They should be in playoff contention all year and even have a shot at making a run in the postseason.
With the acquisitions of Lindor and Carrasco, it begs the question if the Mets will sign another free agent. Players like Trevor Bauer and George Springer have been rumored to join Lindor and Carrasco in Queens, New York.
