Mets Face Difficult Questions About Francisco Lindor's Future Ahead of Trade Deadline

The 2026 campaign has been an unmitigated disaster for the New York Mets. From several controversial offseason decisions in the construction of the roster to the Francisco Lindor hamate bone surgery and multiple in-season injuries, you can even say things went downhill before the season even started.

Speaking of Lindor, some fans believe the last-place Mets, who boast a 40-57 record, should at least listen to potential trade approaches on their franchise shortstop. It’s certainly not a crazy idea. Should they do it, though? Should the Mets entertain the possibility of flipping their star infielder?

Let’s just start by saying that any deal involving Lindor is highly unlikely. We are talking about a 32-year-old player making over $30 million per year for five more seasons, plus what’s left of 2026. Teams probably won’t be lining up to acquire a declining player making that much money, especially not with the pending lockout.

Mets Will Need to Get Creative to Trade Francisco Lindor

It’s certainly not impossible, though. The Mets have proven throughout the years that, at least since Steven Cohen took over, they are willing to cover the salaries of outgoing players in order to maximize the potential return package.

To get Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford in 2023, the Mets sent Justin Verlander and a huge chunk of cash ($25 million) to Houston. They did the same with Max Scherzer, paying $35 million to the Texas Rangers to get Luisangel Acuna.

To do this with Lindor, however, would be much more complex. The Mets still owe him close to $200 million, which is certainly not insignificant money.

Complicating matters is the shortstop's 2026 performance. He slashed .216/.298/.373 with five home runs, two stolen bases, 22 runs scored, 12 RBI, and a 90 wRC+ in 40 games and 171 plate appearances in the first half. He had to deal with the hamate bone surgery in February, and then with a calf strain that landed him on the injured list in late April. He was activated in late June but hasn't been anywhere close to his prime self.

Keeping Lindor Is In the Mets' Best Interests

Fans’ urgency and desire to trade him are understandable to a degree. The season has been, for lack of a better word, a frustrating one. But keeping him is the wisest choice for now.

First of all, trading him at this juncture and with all the aforementioned circumstances would be selling low, and there’s no point in doing that. Additionally, he should eventually return to full health and to top form. It might not happen this month or this season at all, but it will happen in all likelihood.

It’s easy to forget just how good Lindor was last season, when he was fully healthy. He slashed .267/.346/.466 with 31 home runs, 31 stolen bases, 117 runs scored, and a 129 wRC+. He put up 6.3 fWAR.

It might not look like it right now, but Lindor hasn’t forgotten how to play baseball. He just needs to be closer to 100 percent health to show it. Fans might have to temper their expectations a bit for the second half, but even though he is aging, he could be in for a huge bounce-back campaign next year, with the Mets boasting a better team overall. There’s even a chance he starts playing like the Lindor we all know this year, in the second half.

Perhaps a trade involving Lindor would become feasible once the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is agreed upon. For now, however, the Mets are virtually stuck with him. That might not be such a bad thing — one rough half shouldn’t make people lose perspective on who he is as a player.