Francisco Lindor Traded By Cleveland Indians

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Indians have traded star shortstop to the New York Mets, the team announced Thursday.

Cleveland sent Lindor and pitcher Carlos Carrasco to New York. In return, the Tribe receives shorstop Andrés Giménez, in-fielder Amed Rosario, outfielder Isaiah Greene and pitcher Josh Wolf.

During his career with the Tribe, Baseball Almanac notes, Lindor claimed several awards, including: two Gold Glove awards and two Silver Slugger awards. He's also finished in the top five in AL MVP voting. But Lindor could become a free agent after 2021 and Cleveland's ownership had long signaled they would consider trading the shortstop.

In 2019, owner Paul Dolan told the Athletic that Indians fans should enjoy Lindor while they could. Dolan was then asked, point blank, to address the already bubbling concern that the Tribe wouldn't make a serious effort to retain Lindor. When asked to speak directly to fans on the matter, through the Athletic, Dolan said, "Enjoy him. We control him for three more years. Enjoy him and then we'll see what happens."

Dolan has been accused of refusing to pay to retain talent. There's some history to back up that claim.

In 2007 and 2008, Dolan's Indians pulled off a feat of astonishing miserliness: the franchise traded away Cy Young winners in back-to-back years. In 2007, the Tribe sold off CC Sabathia, fresh from winning the franchise's first Cy Young award since 1972. A year later, after Cliff Lee posted a darling season and claimed his own Cy Young award, he was traded to Philadelphia.

No franchise in baseball history (the most storied sport in America) had ever traded Cy Young winners in back-to-back years.

It is worth noting here that following the trades of Sabathia and Lee, the Indians drifted into the hinterlands of baseball, posting a record of 65-97 in 2009. The team didn't enjoy another winning season until 2013.

Cleveland intends to drop the "Indians" nickname sometime after 2021. It's not yet clear what the team's new name will be, CBS reported.