Yankees: 3 Francisco Lindor trades Indians should say yes to

The Yankees and Indians are going to be linked in trade rumors all offseason long, so why not pitch some simple deals that should work?

It feels important to say this up top: The Yankees probably will not trade for Francisco Lindor, but the price of his services isn’t going to be as expensive as you’re probably thinking.

Entering the final year before his contract expires and the Indians get (Willy Wonka voice) “NOTHING, sir!” in exchange for his services, the team will likely be entertaining trade offers that come in below the Mookie Betts package, especially considering our current financial climate. That’s not good for them! The Betts return was underwhelming and was predicated on the condition that someone else would take David Price’s salary. None of that is going to come up in the Lindor talks, and the final result is definitely going to disappoint Clevelanders.

So we thought we’d take another shot at assessing several ways the Yankees could still get involved here. Per reports, the Red Sox will not be chasing Lindor and will be instead prioritizing pitching — yet another reason why we should probably get our finest legal minds on this.

If these three packages seem a little less terrifying than you might’ve predicted last year (remember Judge-for-Lindor?!), that’s by design. But per The Athletic’s recent “yes or no” article, featuring the notion that David Fletcher of the Angels would be too high a price to pay, these suggestions feel right in line with the current narrative.

3. Lindor for Miguel Andújar and Anthony Volpe

Lindor could fetch a fringe major leaguer and a middle infield prospect — this is the Yankees’ version of that deal.

There’s one prototypical Lindor trade we keep seeing floated: A top middle infield prospect in an effort to eventually replace the All-Star, as well as an MLB player who’s been wedged out of his former home. Andújar’s violent bat certainly fulfills the latter role — in fact, Yankees fans would probably be thrilled by this deal, knowing he ended up in a real trade instead of a problematic dump.

Volpe has proven very little thus far in his professional career after being selected at the tail end of the first round in 2019, and not by design — the 2020 season being canceled hasn’t helped him one bit! As of now, we consider him to be a glove-first option with a developing contact bat, and he’d be a solid wild card for Cleveland to choose, ranking in MLB Pipeline’s Yankees Top 10.

Andújar was exiled to the Alternate Site midway through 2020, angering his agent and (likely) the player, too. Unfortunately for him, though, he went from a bat-first, glove-absolutely-last third baseman in 2018 who was still learning the ropes to an afterthought after his shoulder injury led Gio Urshela to usurp him. There’s still magic in that bat, though, and Andújar flirting with the outfield in 2020 could also be appealing for Cleveland; that’s been an offensive trouble spot for years there.

Andújar has always felt like a nice roll of the dice for Cleveland, and as Lindor’s price continues to drop, this is becoming more realistic.

2. Yankees Overwhelm Indians With Prospect Wave

Our *best* prospects? Nah, you’re not getting those. Please accept a few lower-tier Yankees prospects.

Unless the Indians intend to break rank and absolve the Yankees of a salary impediment for 2021 (Adam Ottavino?), then they’re going to have to adjust to the relative impressiveness of these trade packages decreasing.

That whole “salary match” thing isn’t happening. The Tribe refused to pay even $10 million for one of the top closers in the game in Brad Hand. They already tipped their hand on this one.

And so, with no financial incentive lingering on the other side, why would anyone attempt to deal with the Indians in good faith? They’re going to have to wade through a few packages at first that include less impressive names, hoping they’ll eventually get to the meat that might never come.

What about righty Luis Medina (No. 11), righty Miguel Yajure (No. 15) and infielder Ezequiel Duran (No. 27)? This falls right in the meaty “Your Trade Proposal Sucks” zone (Why, on the surface, would Cleveland say yes to this?) until you realize that this might be among the best they get. Yajure is high floor, Medina is high ceiling, and Duran is a middle-infield wild card.

Want to upgrade it a little bit? Swap in Luis Gil (No. 5) for Medina if you need to, but don’t go much higher. Perhaps shortstop Oswaldo Peraza (No. 4) joins the package, and Duran gets replaced with a non-top-30 pitcher. The Indians have backed themselves into a corner here; either embrace the Yankees’ wave, or embrace someone else’s. Nobody’s going to bend much.

1. Carlos Carrasco Joins Blockbuster Lindor Package

Adding Carlos Carrasco to a Francisco Lindor deal? The Yankees may have something here.

A potential Indians solution to the fact that they backed themselves into a corner regarding Lindor’s value? Add an ace to the trade, too, and watch the offers roll in.

If the Indians want an overwhelming blockbuster instead of a final-season snooze, they could namedrop Carlos Carrasco, who is signed through the next two years with a team option for 2023, only set to make $11.75 million for 2021 and 2022.

This is the kind of effectiveness and security that can bring the big names forward from the Yankees, too. Clint Frazier would very much be in play, as would starters like Deivi Garcia and Clarke Schmidt. In fact, you’d probably hear just about every name thrown around outside of Jasson Dominguez (we’re keeping our Martian, unless the Angels want to offload Mike Trout’s contract or something…do they?).

We’ll propose two or three years of Carrasco and the final pre-free agency season of Lindor for Frazier, Garcia, Peraza, and Yajure. This would certainly be considered a hefty price to pay, and it looks a lot more like what was proposed for Lindor midway through 2020 (this is why you wait!).

No, Aaron Judge is not walking through this blockbuster’s door. But if the Yankees really are as skittish about Gleyber Torres as a random sample of Twitter commentators, this could be the maneuver in order to justify a Lindor addition.

Yankees: 3 free agents NYY must avoid this offseason

The New York Yankees are going to have to get creative in free agency, and these three specific maneuvers should be very much avoided.