Francisco Lindor on Possible Mets Contract Extension: 'I Live Life Day by Day'

Francisco Lindor says he's yet to have any long-term contract talks with the New York Mets but is open to potentially striking a deal.

"To all those fans out there, I live life day by day. I'm extremely happy and excited about what's happening right now, but I haven't really sat down to talk to anybody. ... I have never been against an extension. I have never been against signing long term," Lindor told reporters Monday.

The Mets traded Amed Rosario, Andrés Giménez, Josh Wolf and Isaiah Greene to Cleveland in exchange for Lindor and Carlos Carrasco last week. Lindor is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2021 season.

Cleveland moved on from Lindor (and Carrasco) for largely financial reasons. There was little chance the franchise could have paid Lindor anything in the ballpark of what he will make in free agency—even if the market remains tepid in 2021 with fan attendance extremely limited.

The Mets have one of the deepest pockets in the league now under new owner Steve Cohen, who is worth an estimated $14.6 billion. Cohen has made his desire to turn the Mets back into a winner publicly known, so there is little excuse for him not to put together a competitive extension offer.

The situation in many respects mirrors the Los Angeles Dodgers' trade for Mookie Betts last offseason. Like Betts, Lindor is young (27) and won't age much past his prime even if he commands a 10-year contract. Shortstops tend to age a little worse than outfielders from a defensive perspective and Lindor isn't quite on Betts' level as a player, but it seems likely he'll wind up finding a way to stay in New York over the long term.