It looks like Francisco Lindor will be on the move soon.
Cleveland had been expected to make the All-Star shortstop available, since Lindor is heading into his walk year in 2021. The Indians have informed teams they intend to trade him before Opening Day, The Post confirmed, to avoid paying him the $20 million-plus Lindor will get in arbitration.
The Mets and Yankees could both be involved in potential talks for Lindor, who turns 27 next week.
While the Mets have plenty of depth at short in Amed Rosario, Andres Gimenez and Ronny Mauricio, Lindor is too good to not consider. As The Post’s Joel Sherman wrote this week, the Mets could offer Cleveland any of those young, inexpensive shortstops to make up for the loss of Lindor.
And with Steve Cohen set to take control of the franchise in the coming weeks, the Mets should be in excellent position to discuss a new contract with Lindor.
As for the Yankees, Gleyber Torres was underwhelming at short after moving full-time to the position in 2020. If they wanted to shift Torres back to second base, they could potentially let DJ LeMahieu go as a free agent, or make LeMahieu the first baseman and look to trade Luke Voit.
It’s unclear, though, whether the Yankees would want to add Lindor’s contract to a payroll that could also include LeMahieu.
The Angels, Phillies and Cardinals could also all be interested in Lindor, so Cleveland figures to have plenty of suitors.
But they will get less in return than they would have a year ago, when it seemed like Lindor might be moved two years ahead of free agency — and before he had a somewhat lackluster season at the plate, finishing with a career-worst .750 OPS in the 60-game schedule.
