A report from Thursday night revealed that star outfielder Juan Soto, along with promising youngsters Carson Benge, A.J. Ewing, Christian Scott and Nolan McLean, are the only New York Mets players not “available” to advertised contenders ahead of the Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline.
The fact that neither fan-favorite Francisco Lindor nor infielder Bo Bichette was on that list understandably raised some eyebrows among fans and other members of the baseball community. On Thursday night, MLB insider Jon Heyman of the New York Post offered more information regarding the short-term futures of Lindor and Bichette.
Could Mets realistically trade Francisco Lindor before Aug. 3?
According to Heyman, “Lindor’s still seen as a long shot to move” this summer. For an article published on Friday morning, Jim Bowden of The Athletic wrote that “Lindor and Bichette are probably long shots to be traded” before Aug. 3 due to “their hefty contracts.”
Lindor signed a 10-year contract extension worth up to $341M shortly before the start of the 2021 season. He will turn 33 years old this coming November, and he missed roughly two months of action this season because of a calf injury.
Across his first 41 games of the ongoing campaign, Lindor hit just .210 with five home runs, 12 RBI and a .654 OPS.
“No one has given any indications the Mets are shopping him, though no one has said he is off the table either,” SNY’s Chelsea Janes wrote about Lindor on Thursday. “He is an MVP-caliber player making MVP-candidate money for the next five seasons. Any team wanting to make a deal will likely need not only to be able to pay him that money, but also give the Mets a return that includes viable 2027 big-league talent. Few teams seem willing and able to meet those asks.”
What about the Bo Bichette trade rumors?
Heyman added that Lindor and Bichette are “in discussions” as it pertains to possible trades, but the two also “aren’t thought especially likely” to be moved ahead of the deadline. This past offseason, Bichette signed a three-year, $126M deal that included opt-outs after the first and second years, along with a no-trade clause, to join the Mets.
“One thing to keep in mind regarding Bichette” Heyman mentioned. “While he has complicating $42M player options for each of the next two seasons, he was already paid thanks mostly to a $40M signing bonus paid in [the] spring, more than $41M of this year’s $42M salary.”
It sounds like Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns and team owner Steve Cohen are willing to hear offers for both Lindor and Bichette. That said, it also seems unlikely either player will be with a different team on the morning of Aug. 4.