The Mets’ trade for Francisco Lindor is a message to fans

A big day for the franchise.

It was just over a week ago that New York Mets new owner Steve Cohen, known for his frequent entertaining and informative tweets, declared, “Newsflash, the Mets farm system needs to be replenished.”

It was true and still is.

But apparently acquiring a superstar like shortstop Francisco Lindor and a reliable veteran starting pitcher in Carlos Carrasco was too much of a draw to follow that logic.

On Thursday, the Mets finalized a trade that sent two of their stud prospects — infielder Andres Gimenez and pitcher Josh Wolf — along with outfielder Isaiah Greene and young, talented shortstop Ahmed Rosario to the Cleveland Indians for Lindor.

The message coming from the front office is clear: no longer will the Mets operate like a smaller-market team in a big-market city. They’re shoving all-in for one of the game’s best young talents with power, speed and fielding prowess, who will command a humongous salary next offseason. They’re bolstering the rotation with Carrasco. The LOL METS jokes — for a day — are in the rear-view mirror.

The Mets have made some notable trades in the last couple of decades — the acquisition of Yoenis Cespedes in 2015 comes to mind, and the trade for Johan Santana in 2008 as well. But this is bigger than either of those two. Not since the deal for Mike Piazza  in 1998 have the Mets made a splash like this, getting a young star still in his prime, a centerpiece type.

There could still be more coming — another starting pitcher, perhaps? But these two players, plus new catcher James McCann and reliever Trevor May, are ushering in a new era in Queens, exactly what Mets fans have been waiting for in the past few decades. And the players are excited, at least according to pitcher Marcus Stroman:

So, yes. Big day for the franchise and its fans. Cohen put his money where his mouth is and he’s delivering on the many promises he made from the moment he gained control of the team.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIYjZ_s0LSw&ab_channel=USATODAYSports