Francisco Lindor Comments on Contract Amid Indians Trade Rumors

The Cleveland Indians might have spent a good portion of the offseason exploring trade options for Francisco Lindor, but the four-time All-Star doesn't sound like he's keen on leaving the organization. 

Per The Athletic's Zack Meisel, Lindor said he would like to stay with Cleveland, but "they haven't offered me the right thing."

Lindor added "[I'm] not money-driven, I'm championship-driven" and that he wants to "get paid for a long time."

"If they don't think I can stay here because of the money situation, then I won't be here. But I do want to be in Cleveland," he told reporters.

The question of Lindor being traded by the Indians seems to be a matter of when, not if. He has one more year of team control remaining after 2020 before being eligible for free agency. The 26-year-old avoided arbitration by signing a one-year, $17.5 million deal last month. 

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported in December that multiple team executives said Lindor "is going to get traded" either this offseason or by the July 31 trade deadline. 

Indians president Chris Antonetti told reporters on Jan. 8 the team has "every expectation" Lindor will be its starting shortstop when the regular season opens. 

Since Cleveland's payroll hit a franchise-record $134 million in 2018, the organization has spent the past two seasons scaling back its financial commitments. The team is currently projected to have a payroll of $94.5 million this season, per Baseball Reference. 

Lindor ranks third among American League players in FanGraphs' wins above replacement (23.2) since 2016. He owns a .288/.347/.493 slash line with 130 homers and two Gold Glove awards in 717 career games.