In the words of Emperor Palpatine: Do it.
Do it, Cincy. Trade for Francisco Lindor. Trade prospects for him. Get a top player in return and embarrass the Indians once again.
The reasons the Reds would make this trade are obvious, so we won't waste too much time here. A trade for Lindor would make them better and more competitive now, in the immediate. In an open NL Central, trading for a known commodity like Lindor could help shift the tide.
Relative unknown quantities like Nick Senzel — Senzel will probably be very good, chances are — mean nothing when your team is trying to compete for a division crown. Growing pains could play to the detriment of the team, and if you followed the NL Central in 2019, you'll know that the division crown is up for grabs again in 2020.
But it's a little more than that for Cincinnati. The Reds have wasted — yes, wasted — the majority of Joey Votto's illustrious career. They've not done enough to try to help Votto. Now, in the twilight of his career, they are doing what they can.
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So, yes, the reasons the Reds would make this trade are obvious. The reasons the Indians would do it are less so.
A trade for Lindor would likely net some very good prospects and talented players in return, which would mean in theory that Cleveland wouldn't be getting worse if you "re-create" Lindor in the aggregate (thanks, "Moneyball.") The issue with that thinking is you're rolling the dice on unknown quantities, the variable to the control in this situation.
The Indians were within a game of winning the 2017 World Series, ending years of heartbreak and almosts and bringing another title to the Land after the Cavaliers' NBA title win in 2016. Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way, as the epic collapse ended another championship drought of another team.
So, what you're saying is: The Indians don't want to pay a top-flight, top-five player in baseball his fair share because … reasons. OK. Makes a ton of sense to trade a guy who's almost almost in MVP talks and has been the face of your franchise for the past five seasons. He's been a Cleveland ambassador. He extolled the virtues of the city during the 2019 All-Star Game.
A quick Google search tells me that Larry Dolan, owner of the Cleveland Indians, is worth $5.5 billion. That's billion, with a B. He bought the Indians in 2000 with $323 million, and are now worth $1.3 billion. (An interesting note: Dolan is the uncle of James Dolan, the much maligned owner of the Knicks.)
All teams in baseball history have had lean years. Winning is hard in baseball, it's true. But building a championship-caliber roster is especially difficult, and that's something the Indians did — and now they want to tear it down, just over three years after making it to the dance. Few times before have we seen a team get to a World Series, throw its hands up after losing and say, "Yeah, this ain't for us." That's exactly what happened with Cleveland.
And, hey, if you're in the same company as the 1997 Marlins, that's something special.
Maybe it's about attendance and fans getting to the ballpark. Well, it's pretty simple: To make money, you should try to field winning teams. To field winning teams, you should probably have winning players. To have winning players you have to: find them, draft them, pay them. It's really, really a simple concept.
If you want fans to come to the ballpark, then show them you give a damn. Give them a reason to show up. Sending the message of wanting to trade Lindor is, like, the opposite.
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Yeah, it's no secret that Cleveland's had a tough time drawing in years, but this has always been the case. In 2019, the Indians passed the 2 million attendance mark for the first time since 2008. The year prior, they went to the ALCS and lost in seven. Almost like fielding a good team is a correlation there, right? Maybe Cleveland isn't valued as high as the Yankees or other franchises, but it's a team being backed by a billionaire owner.
We're at a critical moment in baseball where teams would much rather try to win later than definitively try to win now. Prospects are well and good, and they're how you build a core of a team. But at some point, those prospects become major leaguers and those major leaguers become good players. When it's time to pay those major leaguers, well, maybe you should do it, instead of being the responsible party to your fans.
The Indians should be embarrassed. Not only because of the Lindor rumors, but because they traded Corey Kluber for essentially nothing. Kluber, a two-time Cy Young winner, should have been heralded and reveled by the Indians, especially on his contract. He should have been given another opportunity to finish the job with the Indians.
Now there are Mike Clevinger trade rumors as well, which means the teardown might be all on in Cleveland. Wonderful.
Just for a second, realize: How many teams would kill to be in Cleveland's position this past season? A top-five player in baseball, an ascending young pitcher in Shane Bieber, a pretty decent rotation behind him. All it took was a little money to help them get over the Twins in the AL Central — money that Cleveland apparently didn't want to deal out.
So, please, Cincinnati. Make it happen. Trade for Lindor and give what the Indians really want: Octobers off.
