Francisco Lindor Trade Talk Won’t Die. The Mets Would Be Making a Mistake to Deal Him Now.

Francisco Lindor was supposed to be the move that signaled the Mets had arrived. Steve Cohen had just taken over, the franchise was spending like a big-market club again, and Lindor was the face of that new era. Five years and a $341 million contract later, the Mets are staring at a lost season and the same old questions about whether they should hit the reset button.

The answer is yes, they should sell. But not Lindor.

Lindor has been the subject of trade chatter for weeks now, and some of that noise is about more than just the standings. Reports have surfaced that he and Juan Soto don’t exactly get along, and that friction has made its way into the clubhouse. That’s a real problem. When your two highest-paid players can’t share a locker room, something has to give. But trading Lindor in the middle of a season where his value has dipped and his contract still carries $150 million in guaranteed money is not the play.

The math doesn’t work for a midseason trade

Lindor is making $32.4 million per year through 2031. Any team taking him on has to eat that number, and no contender is going to give up frontline pitching in return for that kind of commitment. The Mets would be selling low, and they’d be doing it at a time when the return would be futures, not immediate help. If you’re going to trade the guy who was supposed to anchor your lineup for the next decade, you better get back players who can win now. That’s not happening in July.

And frankly, the Mets don’t need to move Lindor for financial reasons. Cohen is the richest owner in baseball. He can afford to sit on this deal while he figures out the Soto situation. If the front office eventually decides the relationship is unfixable, the offseason is the time to make that call. More suitors. Better packages. Less desperation.

What the Mets should actually do at the deadline

There are plenty of other pieces to offload. Freddy Peralta has been a disappointment since arriving in New York, with a 4.68 ERA in 19 starts. He’s not getting it done. Clay Holmes, Luke Weaver, Bo Bichette, and Sean Manaea are all candidates to be moved. The Mets should tear down the supporting cast, stockpile prospects, and come back next year with a retooled roster built around Lindor and Soto — assuming those two can coexist.

Cohen has shown he’s willing to eat salary to get better returns, like he did with Max Scherzer in 2023. He can do that again. Move the rentals. Keep the stars. See if a winter of reflection and a new manager can fix what’s broken in that clubhouse.

Trading Lindor now would be an admission that the Cohen era’s defining move was a failure. That might be the truth somewhere down the line. But the Mets aren’t desperate enough to make that call three months before the season ends.