The New York Yankees have a shortstop problem, and Francisco Lindor could be the answer.
Lindor was the face of the New York Mets before they committed $765 million to Juan Soto over 15 years. There are reports that Soto and Lindor are not on the best terms and do not like each other. While both have publically denied anything of the sort, some still believe there is some beef between the two. Radio host Mike Francesa reported on Monday that the Mets are "trying to trade" Lindor and that he and Soto are still not on great terms, despite what they say in the media.
"Someone who I trust very much told me this started when the only one who did not call him when he came to the Mets was Lindor,” Francesa said on the "Mike Francesa Podcast" on Monday. “And it kind of went from there. They’ve had their ups and downs, but I still hear it’s not good. Now, Cohen addressed that when he did his interview and said, ‘Oh, I hear it’s much better now.’ That’s not what someone’s telling me. So unless they’re telling me something wrong, they’re telling me that it’s not any better. That’s never going to be good, and it’s time for Lindor to leave. And I think the Mets have decided that, from what I understand, they are trying to trade him, or will be trying to trade him in the next couple of weeks.”
If he is on the move, the Mets' crosstown rivals may be the perfect fit. Anthony Volpe has been terrible offensively since making his big league debut in 2023. Lindor is not having his best year at the plate, but was an All-Star just last season, and has already proven he can perform under the pressures of a big market, which is always a concern for players coming to the Yankees.
Lindor has received MVP votes in nearly every season of his career. The Mets are a dumpster fire right now, and perhaps a change of scenery will do Lindor some good. The Mets are going to have to make some tough decisions in the offseason and may decide to build a future around Soto. They could use Lindor to jumpstart that rebuild and land some young talent.
Lindor would not be cheap for the Yankees, but he would give them a much better chance at winning a World Series than with Volpe at shortstop. Lindor is a Platinum Glove Award winner, two-time Gold Glove Award winner, five-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger. Getting him in a lineup with Aaron Judge and Ben Rice could be amazing for the Yankees.