Red Sox Rumors: Francisco Lindor trade unlikely but still possible
By Sean Penney
Why the Red Sox wouldn’t trade for Lindor
As Morosi points out, Boston’s priority is upgrading a pitching staff that FanGraphs rated as the worst in the majors this year.
The Red Sox have carved out nearly $40 million in payroll space beneath the luxury tax threshold but Lindor could eat up about half of that with the salary he’s projected to earn in his third year of arbitration. That might not leave them with enough room to add a starting pitcher and a closer, which would be the bare minimum to addressing their needs.
Boston’s thin farm system might not have enough chips to entice Cleveland into making a deal. A package built around Jeter Downs or Triston Casas would be a steep price for one year of Lindor. Teams on the verge of championship contention can take that gamble for a player of Lindor’s caliber. The Red Sox are not that team unless they have several other significant moves up their sleeve.
Perhaps most importantly, the Red Sox are already set at shortstop with Xander Bogaerts. While Lindor is one of the few shortstops in baseball who can claim to be more valuable than Bogaerts, especially defensively, the upgrade is slim enough to question if the move is worthwhile when Boston has more pressing issues to address.
Bogaerts has emerged a clubhouse leader and Boston’s most valuable player. There’s certainly no urgency to seek an upgrade at his position. If the Red Sox had any notion of moving on from Bogaerts, why not wait a year when Lindor could be available without giving up a boatload of prospects? Next year’s free-agent class is loaded with shortstops so if they miss out on Lindor, Boston could target Javier Báez, Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, or Trevor Story.