Cincinnati Reds: Will trade offer for Francisco Lindor be enough?

The Cleveland Indians are looking for team’s last, best, and final offers on Francisco Lindor. Will the Cincinnati Reds offer be enough?

The Francisco Lindor sweepstakes are coming down to the wire. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Cleveland Indians are looking for team’s last, best, and final offers as we head into the weekend. Will the offer submitted by the Cincinnati Reds be enough to land the superstar shortstop?

There’s been rumored names thrown about, but no concrete evidence as to what the Reds may be offering the Indians. Nick Senzel, Jonathan India, Tony Santillan, Freddy Galvis, and Nick Lodolo have all been mentioned as possible trade chips in Cincinnati’s efforts to land Lindor.

Francisco Lindor has two years of team control remaining. MLB Trade Rumors predicted that the 26-year-old would take home $16.7M via arbitration this coming season. Next season, that figure is likely to rise to $20M-plus. The biggest name among the Reds potential trade chips, Senzel, is pre-arbitration eligible and several years of team control remaining before entering free agency.

The Cincinnati Reds are not the only team said to be competing for Lindor’s services. The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres are also possible suitors, as are the New York Mets. However, the Mets interest seems to be nothing more than exploratory, and the other two teams have prominent players already occupying the shortstop position.

The time is now for the Reds to make a splash and land one of the Top 5 players in the game today. Lindor is a superstar. In 2019, Lindor smacked 32 home runs, 40 doubles, and two triples while also plating 74 runs with a slash line of .284/.335/.518. You want hitting? Lindor would give the Reds a HUGE boost at the plate.

Rosenthal is reporting that the Lindor talks have reached a “critical stage”, stating that the Indians want the weekend to evaluate all trade offers. Rosenthal is quick to point out that it does not mean Cleveland is certain to deal Lindor, but after the trades of Trevor Bauer last July and Corey Kluber last week, an Indians rebuild is looking more and more likely.

The Reds added Mike Moustakas earlier this month to add some punch to the offense. Wade Miley was signed earlier this week, solidifying the Cincinnati rotation as one of the best in the game. Adding Lindor would be the cherry on top.

Imagine an infield of Lindor, Moustakas, Joey Votto, and Eugenio Suárez. You could argue that Votto is the least impactful bat among the starting infielders, and that’s not too shabby. While center field may be a question mark, provided Jesse Winker stays healthy and Aristides Aquino rides the wave of success he caught last August, the Reds lineup has the makings to be very dangerous.

Will we see a conclusion to the Francisco Lindor saga before Christmas? Possibly. With the Indians calling all comers, it’s time for the Reds to pony up. A package that includes Senzel, Santillan, Galvis, and another minor league prospect would be a small price to pay for Lindor.