Blue Jays: A look at what might get a Lindor trade done

All thirty MLB teams could use Francisco Lindor in their lineup, but the Blue Jays are flexible financially and have the minor league depth to put together a competitive offer. 

I can’t imagine there’s a Jays fan out there that wouldn’t be willing to spend to see Francisco Lindor in a Blue Jays uniform. The challenging part of getting a deal like this done, aside from the substantial package that Cleveland would demand, is considering the likelihood of Lindor signing an extension with the Jays.

He is truly a generational talent that brings unmatched charisma and talent to the field every day. With that said, the Jays are not likely to fork over what it would take to get Lindor unless there is reciprocated interest on his part to stay in Toronto long-term.

While going through possible trade scenarios, it must be acknowledged that Ross Atkins and the front office have spent years building up what is now the fourth-best farm system in baseball according to Baseball America. They are not going to part ways with top prospects without confidence that they can lock up Lindor for the duration of the club’s competitive window.

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The Jays are prohibited from talking to Lindor while he is still apart of Cleveland’s organization, but both Atkins and Shapiro have relationships with him from their days in Cleveland and will likely be able to gauge his interest better than other clubs. Assuming both feel confident in re-signing him, let’s take a look at a few potential trades that could get the job done.

TORONTO RECEIVES:

SS Francisco Lindor

CLEVELAND RECEIVES:

OF Teoscar Hernandez
3B/SS Jordan Groshans
RHP Sem Robberse

I’ve made the case Hernandez deserves an extension with the Jays, but if he is the missing piece that gets this deal done, I think the organization can live with it, especially given what they gave up to get him. I don’t think any Lindor deal gets done without including Groshans, he’s the Jays 3rd best prospect according to Baseball America and could slide right into Lindor’s spot in the not so distant future. Robberse, who is in the Blue Jays top 25 prospects, is a promising 19-year old that is a few years from the big leagues, but given Cleveland’s starting pitching depth, he might be what they’re looking for.

TORONTO RECEIVES:

SS Francisco Lindor

CLEVELAND RECEIVES:

OF Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
3B/SS Jordan Groshans
RHP Tom Hatch

It is entirely possible the Jays would rather part ways with Gurriel than Hernandez, or that Cleveland insists on Lourdes being a part of the deal. While Lourdes has produced impressive results over the last two seasons, the Jays may be willing to give Austin Martin a shot in the outfield if Cleveland won’t agree to a deal without Gurriel. Hatch had an impressive debut season in 2020 and while he’s seven years older than Robberse, his ability to start and potentially pitch out of the bullpen for Cleveland next year might make him appealing.

TORONTO RECEIVES

SS Francisco Lindor

CLEVELAND RECEIVES

3B/SS Jordan Groshans
OF Dasan Brown
RHP  T.J. Zeuch

It’s possible that Cleveland would prefer a package of strictly prospects, in which case, this is the calibre of young players that would have to be given up to swing a Lindor deal. Both Brown and Zeuch are promising young players.  Zeuch, like Hatch, is flexible in terms of his role and showed some promising stuff in 2020. Brown is a potential true big league centre fielder, something the Jays have lacked for years, but could entice the Indians if they’re looking for a young outfielder that is a few years away.

It cannot be overstated that none of these deals make sense unless the Jays are convinced they will be able to keep Lindor in a Jays uniform beyond 2021. If Shapiro and Atkins are confident they will be able to lock him up, it may be time to part ways with some of these prospects to get this deal done.

The opportunity to acquire a player of Lindor’s calibre does not come around often, if a reasonable deal is there to be made, I say take the shot.