Cincinnati Reds: Buy or sell for the 2020 regular season

Buy or Sell: The Reds trade for Francisco Lindor at the deadline

Well, this is sure to be a topic of conversation throughout the season. According to The Athletic, he Cleveland Indians and their superstar shortstop have ceased contract talks and Francisco Lindor will enter the 2020 season with only two years of team control remaining. Lindor will be a free agent following the 2021 season.

So why does this matter to the Cincinnati Reds? In case you haven’t been paying attention, there were rumors throughout the offseason of a potential trade between the Reds and Indians for the four-time All-Star. Those rumors eventually became clearer and it turned out that the Reds were more interested in a possible three-team trade that would’ve netted them Corey Seager.

Well, the Los Angeles Dodgers turned their attention elsewhere and now have former AL MVP Mookie Betts roaming the outfield. With Betts’ bat in the lineup, it’s unlikely we see LA engage in talks with the Tribe. With that being the case, should Cincinnati pick up the phone before the trade deadline and swing a deal of Lindor?

I highly doubt that’ll happen. Would I like to see Lindor move from Northeast Ohio to Cincinnati? Who wouldn’t? My concern with a trade for Lindor is two-fold; what would cost the Reds in terms of prospects and is that sacrifice worth it for one-plus year of Francisco Lindor?

Both of those are fair questions, and ones that the Reds front office would have to answer. In the end, I think Freddy Galvis will be a solid shortstop for Cincinnati in 2020 and Jose Garcia’s bright future will give the front office cause to pause on searching out an upgrade for the position. I think a trade for Lindor is highly unlikely and it’s time for fans to move past the idea.

Verdict: Sell