Cincinnati Reds: Trade talk for Francisco Lindor cooled but not gone

Don’t be fooled. While trade talks involving the Cincinnati Reds and Francisco Lindor have cooled, this deal can still get done.

It’s easy to get discouraged sometimes, especially when we set our expectations ridiculously high. The Cincinnati Reds had been heavily rumored to be in pursuit of Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor, but those talks have dulled to little more than a whisper. However, don’t lose heart Reds fans, there’s still plenty of time for a deal to get done.

Chris Antonetti, the President of Baseball Operations for the Indians, came out yesterday via MLB.com to speak about likelihood of trading Lindor this offseason. Antonetti painted a bleak picture for Reds fans when he said that he expects Lindor to be Cleveland’s Opening Day shortstop.

Antonetti has been steadfast in his position, stating more than once that he expects Francisco Lindor to be on the Indians when their season begins. Okay, that may be true. However, what is he supposed to say? ” Yes, we’re actively shopping Francisco.” Of course not! Wouldn’t you expect Dick Williams to say something similar, such as, “We expect Tucker to be our Opening Day catcher.”

This is posturing, folks. Every GM and front office executive in the league does this. In the same conversation, Antonetti said that the Indians brass has had conversations with other teams regarding almost every player on the Indians major league roster as well as several minor leaguers.

Look, the Indians know that they’re not going to re-sign Francisco Lindor when he becomes a free agent two years from now. Cleveland has entered territory all to familiar to Reds fans by trading away Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer in recent months. Mike Clevinger may be on the way out as well.

Antonetti and the Indians are trying to decide when it’s most advantageous for them to deal Lindor and which team is willing to pay the highest price. Don’t forget, Cincinnati is not alone in pursuing the four-time All-Star. The New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers have interest in adding Lindor to their roster as well.

For now, the Indians hold all the cards here. Cleveland has the coveted player and they’re seeing what each and every major league team is willing to give in order to land Lindor. If the Dodgers don’t want to give up Gavin Lux, perhaps the Reds will sacrifice Nick Senzel. If Senzel is off limits, perhaps the Mets will include Jeff McNeil.

The good thing for Cincinnati is that they already have a backup plan in place. Freddy Galvis, who hit 23 home runs in 2019, would be the Reds starting shortstop if the season started tomorrow. That’s a pretty good contingency plan. While Lindor is a superstar, Galvis is a serviceable shortstop with a good glove and solid power who can hit from both sides of the plate.

Yes, for now, the trade talks surrounding Francisco Lindor have cooled. However, it just takes a spark for the hot stove to start burning again. I wouldn’t expect a lot of chatter over the next month, but by the middle of February, expect one more round of rumors with the potential of Cincinnati snagging the Indians shortstop.