Mets Francisco Lindor Trade Starters Not Named Jeff McNeil

The New York Mets have been mentioned as suitors for a possible trade involving Cleveland Indians star Francisco Lindor. It will no doubt take a lot to pry the star shortstop away from Cleveland, and while Jeff McNeil might seem like an ideal starting place, he should be off limits in trade talks.

Instead, the Mets could turn to guys like Michael Conforto, J.D. Davis or even Brandon Nimmo to sweeten their final offers as things come to a head in the Lindor sweepstakes this weekend.

All three of them fill a major need for the Indians: outfield production. Cleveland struggled to find a reliable outfield bat in 2019, so it seems only natural that they demand a starting-caliber outfielder in any deal for Lindor.

Conforto, an All-Star in 2017, fits the bill perfectly. He has experience at each outfield position, and he has managed an impressive 125 OPS+ for his career. On top of that, he's appeared in at least 150 games in back-to-back seasons. Simply put, he's a strong, everyday bat that could help offset the loss of Lindor.

Davis and Nimmo both provide more upside, but they come with some drawbacks.

Davis flashed plenty of potential by slashing .307/.369/.527 in 2019, but that came in just a 453 plate appearance sample size. There are still questions as to whether or not he could reproduce that type of season.

Nimmo is a risky return for Cleveland because of his injury issues. He has shown elite plate discipline during his time in the majors, posting a .391 on-base percentage since the start of 2017, but injures have limited him to just 278 games over the last three seasons.

Each player makes sense for the Indians, and they all allow the Mets to keep their versatile star in Jeff McNeil. The only question that remains is whether or not any of them would be enough to entice Cleveland enough in exchange for Lindor.