Francisco Lindor Trade Rumors: Yankees, Mets, Phillies, Among Top Suitors

Francisco Lindor's tenure as a member of the Cleveland Indians will potentially come to an end this offseason.

MLB.com's Jon Morosi reported Cleveland is "likely" to trade the four-time All-Star, but did note "no deal appears close at this early stage of the offseason."

Morosi listed the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays and St. Louis Cardinals as the "strongest candidates" to pull off a deal for Lindor. 

USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported last week that Cleveland has told rival teams that Lindor will be dealt before Opening Day next season. 

Cleveland has spent the early days of this offseason slashing its payroll. The team declined 2021 options for Brad Hand ($10 million), Carlos Santana ($17.5 million) and Domingo Santana ($5 million). 

Lindor is entering his final year of arbitration, with Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors estimating the 27-year-old will earn $21.5 million. 

Of the five potential landing spots mentioned by Morosi, only the Blue Jays currently rank in the bottom half of MLB in projected payroll for next season. The Yankees project to have the second-highest payroll ($168 million), trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers at $175.5 million. 

The Mets might be the most intriguing team to watch throughout the offseason because of new owner Steve Cohen. He told reporters on Tuesday that he will consider it "slightly disappointing" if the franchise doesn't win a World Series within the next five years. 

Cohen has also used his personal Twitter account to ask Mets fans what they would like to see changed to make their experience better.

The Blue Jays are a franchise on the rise after making the playoffs in 2020. They have an outstanding nucleus of young position players, led by Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Teoscar Hernandez. 

St. Louis is potentially in a transition phase with franchise stalwarts Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina hitting free agency. Shortstop is a position of need after Paul DeJong hit just .250/.322/.349 with three homers in 2020. 

Lindor is a cornerstone player for any franchise. He's a two-time Gold Glove winner at a premium defensive position and has a career .285/.346/.488 slash line, hitting at least 32 homers in three straight seasons from 2017-19.