The New York Mets are keeping Francisco Lindor in Queens — for now, at least.
Heading into this season’s MLB trade deadline on Monday, there had been growing speculation that the Mets could part ways with their star shortstop. Though it was seen as a long-shot as the Mets prioritized trading away players on expiring contracts, Lindor’s future with the team was in serious doubt as the trade deadline neared.
The Mets reached a final decision on Lindor for this season.
Mets Keeping Francisco Lindor for This Season, Future Uncertain
Those close to the team didn’t seem to give the Lindor trade rumors much credence. Danny Abriano of SNY noted that the trade chatter appeared to be for the sake of speculation and nothing more.
“To read and hear what those around the league are saying, you would think that Lindor has been trending down for years,” Abriano wrote in the week before the MLB trade deadline. “One comment from a potential buyer at this year’s deadline, relayed by SNY contributor Jim Duquette last week on Baseball Night In New York, was that Lindor’s contract is ‘immovable.’ ”
Abriano added that Lindor was close to untouchable for the Mets.
“Lindor’s contract being ‘immovable’ would put him in the same category as players like Xander Bogaerts of the Padres (33 years old, 93 OPS+ over the last three seasons, under contract through 2033 at roughly $25 million per season) and Aaron Nola of the Phillies (33 years old, 5.91 ERA the last two seasons, under contract through 2030 at roughly $25 million per year),” Abriano wrote.
Though the Mets traded away several other players, they decided to keep Lindor through this season. There had already been growing speculation that the Mets would push off a decision on Lindor until next year.
In July, reporter Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports reported that the Mets were likely to reconsider trade offers in the coming winter.
“Rival executives believe that the Mets will trade shortstop Francisco Lindor this winter – not at the trade deadline,” Nightengale reported. “He’s owed $160 million over the next five years after this season, and has a full no-trade clause, complicating a deal by Aug. 3.”
Mets Make Several Other Big Moves
Despite keeping Lindor, the Mets made a series of other significant trades, parting ways with several players on expiring contracts and adding a large group of prospects. One of the biggest trade saw the Mets ship Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor to the Chicago Cubs for minor league infielder Jefferson Rojas, the team’s No. 1 prospect.
Rojas was the highest-ranked prospect the Mets landed, ranking No. 63 on the MLB Pipeline’s Top 100.
“He’s always been an advanced hitter with natural ability to recognize spin and hit strikes,” one MLB scout told SNY. “He gets the barrel to the ball naturally too. With those skills there’s a lot of room for growth, considering he was pretty young for Double-A this year.”
The moves aim to give the Mets fuel to jump back into contention quickly, with hopes that the disastrous season in 2026 is a one-year aberration.
Mets Reach Final Decision on Francisco Lindor’s Future at MLB Trade Deadline