Mets put pressure on Yankees with blockbuster Francisco Lindor trade

The Yankees better have DJ LeMahieu on lines 1, 2 and 3 after the Mets’ Francisco Lindor trade.

If the Yankees weren’t worried about the Mets coming for New York’s crown before Thursday as the offseason grew dormant, they certainly should be now.

It should be the Yanks’ ethos to make moves simply to directly counteract the moves made by the National League team in the other borough, of course. And Mets owner Steve Cohen has said the same, in regard to building his franchise individually.

But that team over there in Flushing, Queens nabbed either the Yankees’ backup plan or dream target, depending on whose sources you believe, by trading for Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor at a significant discount on Thursday afternoon.

And whether DJ LeMahieu truly was their “top priority” or not, he’d better become one by the time this week ends, because the offseason is about to be ratcheted up to the level we were promised. And the All-Star insurance is now playing across town.

Lindor was never a perfect fit in the Bronx — especially for the version of the roster that included another experimental year of Gleyber Torres alongside LeMahieu.

But with every passing day of dormancy in the LeMahieu talks, more and more Yankees fans convinced themselves that, as Lindor’s price dropped near Yu Darvish levels, a year of tryouts prior to the free agent shortstop bonanza of 2021 wouldn’t be so bad after all.

That is, of course, no longer the case. If the Yankees don’t re-sign LeMahieu soon, their only option will be twiddling their thumbs, wondering if the Rockies come to a similar conclusion regarding Trevor Story in the next month and a half — something we’re already being told is unlikely. Without either LeMahieu or Lindor on the 2021 roster, there really isn’t a path forward towards prospering in the immediately visible portion of your window.

Oh, and while the Yanks sit around, the Mets are laying waste to the pitching market, too.

We learned on Wednesday that the Dodgers still haven’t offered LeMahieu either the security or liquid cash he was hoping they would, which is the only way in which LA can seamlessly vault past the Bronx Bombers in talks.

Now that a last-ditch Lindor effort is done and dusted, and he’s looking for blue-and-orange real estate right next door, the time is now for New York’s top priority (and likely better fit) to roost.

Perhaps, if a deal does get done, Yankees fans can thank the Mets for finally holding their franchise’s feet to the fire.

Yankees: 3 blockbuster trades that need to be made if DJ LeMahieu leaves

If the New York Yankees lose DJ LeMahieu in free agency, they need to pursue one of these blockbuster trades to remain in championship contention.