Francisco Lindor Suspends Extension Talks With Indians to Focus on Season and He Seems as Good as Gone

This past offseason was littered with discussion of Francisco Lindor's status with the Cleveland Indians. Rumors were rampant that he would be traded, ending his relationship with the city he loves ahead of schedule to save some money on the back end. Amid all those rumors, the two tried to negotiate an extension this spring, with Lindor insisting he'd rather remain home, all things equal.

Neither the rumors, nor the negotiations, panned out.

Lindor told Jason Lloyd of The Athletic that the two sides have recently suspended their talks of a contract extension in order to focus on winning in 2020.

Per Lindor himself, it doesn't even look like the two sides were even close to a conclusion.

Both sides have the desire to keep Lindor in Cleveland beyond his entry into free agency, but it just seems like it's not meant to happen. Team president Chris Antonetti cited the difficulty of setting out a long-term deal while trying to build a winning team in a small market.

Therefore, deep breath...if the Tribe isn't a clear-cut contender at the deadline, it looks to be the right time for them to sell Lindor. The team that gets Lindor in a trade would be getting him for two postseasons, and the Indians could possibly sell him for a younger piece, as they've been a team on the decline since losing the ALDS to the Yankees in 2017, squandering what appeared to be their best shot at a title. If they continue to lose, it might be time to start a rebuild.

Lindor has faith in the team and believes they can win if they team commits the money towards the cause. There is some skepticism from the Indians side, though. It's not a discrepancy about Lindor's value. It's more about how the team wants to go about spending their limited amount of money.

Francisco Lindor's days as a Cleveland Indian are numbered. This just made that clearer.