Getty Image / Adam Hunger
New York Mets fans have had a strange relationship with shortstop Francisco Lindor since he came over from the Cleveland Guardians in a blockbuster trade prior to the 2021 season. Despite being, analytically, one of the best players in baseball since, many Mets fans claim that Francisco Lindor has underachieved since the trade and signing a huge contract shortly thereafter.
The acquisition of Lindor was the first huge move that owner and hedge fund magnate Steve Cohen made after buying the team, and Cohen had said his plan was to win a World Series within five years of ownership. The Mets are now in year four, and while they’re right in the thick of NL Wild Card race, a World Series doesn’t necessarily seem likely this year.
That being said, they’ve got a big offseason coming up with a lot of money coming off the books and an owner in Steve Cohen that has shown he is willing to spend big in the free agent market in the past. They’ve been linked heavily to Yankees slugger Juan Soto, and bidding for the 26-year-old could turn into a Mets-Yankees battle.
In the meantime, it’s Francisco Lindor that is carrying the mantle in the Mets lineup. After a horrific start to the season, he’s been arguably the most valuable player in the National League, and sits atop the season leaders for WAR in the NL with 6.2. He’s been the most valuable shortstop in baseball by a pretty big margin since 2022, and just became the first shortstop in MLB history with three seasons of 25 home runs and 25 stolen bases.
But, none of that matters to Francisco Lindor. He knows he was brought to Flushing to win a World Series.
“I’m proud to be a New York Met,” Lindor said, according to ESPN. “But my job is not done. I haven’t done what it takes to win. We haven’t won the World Series. So I don’t want to say I’ve done my job to the ultimate end. I feel like not until the day we win, when I have the opportunity to give the trophy to Steve or Alex and say we did it, the job is not done.
“And then since we’re in New York, nobody’s going to care in the next year. So we got to go out and do it again.”
On the year, Lindor is slashing .266/.339/.477 and has 25 homers and 25 steals to go along with 73 RBI’s while playing stellar defense at shortstop. The Mets (66-61) sit just 1.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for the final NL Wild Card spot.