There's A Window To Extend Lindor, And The Mets NEED To Get It Done

by The 7 Line March 11, 2021 0 Comments

A guest blog from Al Cintron:

I had my heart set on 1 guy going into this offseason who for years I prayed would be in orange and blue. Francisco Lindor is that guy. I knew it would take giving up Giménez and others. Did I care? Hell no! Well, dreams do come true and the Mets pulled it off.

Francisco Lindor, Mets extension talks are expected to begin in earnest this week. Opening Day is at least a soft deadline, so figure about 24 days to get it done.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 8, 2021

Now it's the time to not play games and lock up the type of superstar this organization has failed to land for as long as I can remember. My best guess is 8 years, $240M can get the job done. But hey, I'll leave the specifics to Stevie and Sandy.

Lindor is the best SS in the league, period! Not Tatis Jr., it's not Story and it's not Baez. It's Lindor. A switch-hitting 27-year old superstar just entering his prime with a proven winning track record. A guy whose teammates love and adore on and off the field is the player the Mets should break the bank for, locking him up long term.

Good evening my neighbors. @1InfamousTioAL ♥️’s Lindor. You? pic.twitter.com/dmAzE5PNu8
— The 7 Line (@The7Line) February 28, 2021

This is a guy who would thrive in New York City since he's always wanted this big stage, and with that smile he'll be on every single billboard. He's also let us, the fans, know he wants to be a Met by saying he wants this deal done before the season starts.

He takes the pressure off of so many guys. Especially Pete Alonso who won't need to be the face of the franchise with Lindor in the fold long term. Alonso struggled last season, but so did many other stars in what was the weirdest season in my 40 plus years as a Mets fan, thanks to Covid. I also think part of it was due to the burden of trying to carry the team.

Lindor is going to benefit from having the Mets core around him and they will thrive from Lindor's presence around them. It's a win-win.

Thinking we'll make Francisco Lindor a full-time camera man if this whole baseball thing doesn't work out 😂🎥 pic.twitter.com/rbzYbUThdU
— SNY (@SNYtv) March 9, 2021

I'm confident Sandy and co. wouldn't have made this trade if they believed they couldn't sign Lindor to a long-term deal. They have the money, thanks to our new billionaire owner, Steve Cohen, so there are no excuses unless this fan base turns off the Lindor family and they say "Goodbye, my neighbors". It would be the biggest mistake since letting Strawberry leave if they don't lock Lindor up long term.

I'm down on bended knees, like Boyz II Men, praying this fanbase shows nothing but love to Lindor through good streaks and bad slumps, but with the track record of Mets Twitter who the heck knows.

As long as Francisco produces, which I have no doubt he will, the Mets must do the right thing and lock up the best all-around player in a Mets uniform since Carlos Beltran, a fellow Boricua. I only hope if and when the Mets lock Francisco up he can deliver the World Series title that Beltran unfortunately failed to produce.

Follow @1InfamousTioAL on Twitter.