Don’t Be Shocked If Mets Don’t Extend Francisco Lindor

When the Mets pulled off the shocking blockbuster that landed Francisco Lindor (and don’t forget Carlos Carrasco — the sleeper of the deal), it was widely assumed he would quickly sign an extension, becoming the first player in a long line to take some of Steve Cohen’s billions off his hands. Well, it hasn’t happened yet, and do not be surprised if it does not happen at all. And as I always suggest, you can blame Sandy Alderson for it.

Alderson has gone on record as saying he is not a fan of these long-term mega contracts. He doesn’t like paying players for what they have already done. If it were up to him, he would not have given David Wright that $138 million deal. But that was just as much (if not more) about keeping a franchise icon in the family than it was a baseball decision.

What it boils down to is that Alderson does not have the stomach to hand out huge deals, whether it is the Wilpons’ limited money or Cohen’s unlimited bankroll. And $300 million or more for Lindor? Not going to happen.

Then why trade for Lindor in the first place if they are only going to keep him for one season? Well, maybe Alderson saw an opening to really go for it following a season in which every owner lost tons and tons of money — except for the new owner of the Mets. It would explain why they offered Trevor Bauer $85 million on what would have been a two-year contract.

However, it does not explain not nailing down Bauer. Yes, they had the bigger offer, but only by a few million dollars. Why not offer $10 million or $20 million more if they are really going for it? And letting George Springer go was just silly because he could have solved multiple problems with the roster. However, that would have required a long-term commitment. But if you’re going for it, then really go for it.

So maybe they are not going for it. So again, why trade for Lindor if they are not going to extend him, especially when there will be so many star shortstops available next winter? Maybe they want Lindor to be comfortable in New York, then lowball him because there could be more supply than demand at shortstop a year from now? And he might take it because he likes it here? I don’t know.

What I do know is that Sandy Alderson is not giving anyone $300 million dollars. Go ahead, Sandy, prove me wrong.