SF Giants-Cleveland: Five Potential Francisco Lindor Trades

If Cleveland makes shortstop Francisco Lindor available, the SF Giants have the pieces to get a deal done. Here are five potential packages.

With the majority of MLB teams looking to clear payroll this offseason, it seems very likely that Cleveland will look to trade star shortstop Francisco Lindor this offseason. The SF Giants are reportedly one of the few teams prepared to be aggressive this offseason. If that’s the case, they have to make a big push for Lindor.

Grant Brisbee of The Athletic made a compelling argument for the Giants to pass on any Lindor sweepstakes. He points to Lindor’s unexceptional career on-base percentages and wonders if fans could be falling for his name recognition to discuss him as a star when he might just be a really good player. He argues that the prospect capital it would take is not worth what may not be the exceptional return fans want.

The thing is, in this unpredictable offseason, even if Brisbee is right, it doesn’t necessarily mean the Giants have to move on. The fact is Lindor’s projected arbitration salary will approach $20 million and with any acquiring team likely to pursue a hefty long-term extension, it’s hard to see Cleveland finding a particular seller-friendly market.

A rational baseball fan would point out that if that turns out to be the case, why wouldn’t Cleveland just play out 2021 with the face of their franchise? Of course, imagine trading Mookie Betts. The fact is, if MLB owners want to cut costs, there is not much any front-office executive is going to say about marginal value or prospects that is going to move the needle. If Cleveland’s ownership says they need to move Lindor, they will take the best offer available.

If that turns out to be the case, the Giants may be able to gamble on Lindor’s star upside at the prospect cost of just a good player. The fact remains, their farm system’s depth has improved leaps and bounds over the past couple of seasons, and they are well-positioned to trade from that without sacrificing their future.

Five Potential SF Giants-Cleveland Trades:
Brandon Belt (pay $10 million), Will Wilson, Seth Corry for Francisco Lindor

This is perhaps the least exciting, but also, the most Cleveland proposal of this group. Brandon Belt turns an obvious weakness at DH and first base into an immediate strength for just a $5 million salary if the Giants retain $10 million. Seth Corry remains the Giants highest ranked pitching prospect and Will Wilson is considered a top-ten prospect in the organization by many pundits.

If they liked Wilson out of the draft, he was the 15th overall pick in 2019, then they might be especially intrigued by the prospect of bringing him into the fold. A middle-infielder without any obvious plus tools, Wilson has long been a favorite of statistical models and projects as above-average across the board. He may not be an obvious star, but has a path to becoming an All-Star.

Corry is a high-upside southpaw who’s racked up strikeouts at every stage of his career. A third-round pick in the 2017 draft out of high school, he finally found consistent control last year in his first taste of full-season ball. In the South Atlantic League, Corry put up one of the most dominant seasons in recent history, striking out nearly 13 batters per nine innings, while holding opponents to a 1.76 ERA.

If Cleveland is comfortable with the shortstop options on the free-agent or trade market, they could very easily envision themselves finding a competent replacement for Lindor on defense, slot Belt into his spot in the lineup, and acquire a pair of interesting prospects. On the flip side, neither Wilson nor Corry are likely to contribute for the Giants until probably 2022 or 2023 and are by no means considered transcendent type prospects. While replacing Belt obviously wouldn’t be easy, the team already has some competent options under team control like Darin Ruf and Wilmer Flores.

Five Potential SF Giants-Cleveland Trades:
Wilmer Flores, Jaylin Davis, Hunter Bishop, Will Wilson for Francisco Lindor

Hunter Bishop isn’t too far separated from Corry on most Giants prospect rankings, but he’s begun getting much more top-100 prospect love. Pairing Bishop and Wilson, Cleveland could very well see a pair of bats that could play up the middle and slot into the middle of their lineup in the future.

Wilmer Flores had a quietly fantastic 2020 season, bashing 12 home runs and an .830 OPS, and over the last four-seasons has produced a .793 OPS with a 22 home run pace per 162 games. Flores is best situated defensively at first base, again, a clear need in Cleveland. However, he’s cheaper than Belt, is under team control through a club option in 2022, and has the ability to play second base as well, another current hole in Cleveland’s lineup.

If Bishop were closer to the major leagues this would be an even more obvious no-brainer given the revolving door of outfielders, but he’s far from being a finished product. Jaylin Davis, on the other hand, could conceivably help a big-league team in 2021.

Davis has struggled with punchouts but has big-time power and elite outfield defense. At a minimum, it seems easy to see him projecting as a power-hitting fourth outfielder. Still, Cleveland has a lot of confidence in their player development group. If they believe in Davis’ potential, he has the tools of an All-Star.

With that said, the Giants were tentative to call Davis up this season and clearly wanted to see more out of him at the alternate site in Sacramento. They may be ready to part with him given the organization’s strong outfield depth. Without a designated hitter guaranteed next season, Flores’ spot on the roster becomes a lot harder to envision as well.

Wilson and Bishop are both very good prospects that the Giants wouldn’t love to part with. However, neither has played a game in full-season ball and the farm system is filled with exciting outfield prospects that could hypothetically fill Bishop’s spot.

Five Potential SF Giants-Cleveland Trades:
Alex Dickerson, Luis Matos, Seth Corry, Ricardo Genoves, Sean Hjelle for Francisco Lindor

In the opposite type of deal from the Bart proposal, Cleveland could focus on ensuring they get at least one future contributor in return. Rather than target one elite prospect, they could instead ask for a number of very good prospects.

Corry and Luis Matos both rank among the Giants ten best prospects. Sean Hjelle tends to rank on the border between the top ten and early teens, while Genoves ranks between 15 and 25. All have very good chances of becoming MLB players with long careers.

Matos is an exciting young outfielder who may have five-tool potential. Still, he’s yet to receive extended playing time above the Dominican Summer League. Genoves has a strong defensive profile at catcher and began showing his plus power in games last season between Low-A and a cup of coffee at the South Atlantic League.

Hjelle, considered one of the safest pitchers in the 2018 draft, is 6’11”, but has excellent control of his pitches and generates ground balls at an elite rate. Given his unique stature, there may be some unique potential that Cleveland pitching coaches would love to work with. He also reached Double-A last season and could foreseeably make his big-league debut in 2022.

Cleveland wouldn’t have a big name to show their fanbase, but would also be in a great position to have something to show for it. While none of the prospects would make an immediate impact, Alex Dickerson would make an elite platoon candidate with Franmil Reyes at DH or in a corner outfield spot.

Five Potential SF Giants-Cleveland Trades:
Heliot Ramos, Chadwick Tromp, Donovan Solano for Francisco Lindor

In the most likely scenario, the Giants are going to have to part with some big-league contributors with a potential top-level prospect. Heliot Ramos is one of the top-three prospects in the Giants system and after a breakout 2019 season remains a consensus top-60 prospect in baseball. Built like a strong safety, Ramos has the potential to be a five-tool player. While his hit-tool has lagged behind his others, he made great strides last season, reaching Double-A, and he still won’t turn 22 until next September.

While Cleveland would love to get their hands on Bart, Ramos would be a cornerstone outfielder that they could see making his MLB debut in 2021 and potentially locking up an everyday job by the end of the season. Ramos is probably one of the best combinations of a somewhat immediate return with a high-end upside that Cleveland could find offered for Lindor on the trade market.

At the same time, Tromp showed the ability to play great defense at catcher and handle the weak side of a platoon. If he can continue to develop his pitch recognition, he has the tools to be a passable everyday catcher with some power. He could immediately slot into Cleveland’s backstop rotation.

Donovan Solano just won the Silver Slugger and is coming off an incredible 2020 season at the plate. He’d be a cheap upgrade at a position of need for Cleveland. While the Giants wouldn’t love to part with their most consistent bat, he’s also set to be a free agent after next year. By bringing Lindor into the mix, they’d have plenty of creative ways to fill Solano’s spot.

If Cleveland decides they are going to trade Francisco Lindor, the trade market this offseason may not be as robust as many expect. With that in mind, the SF Giants have the farm system depth to take advantage of the buyer’s market and make Cleveland the best offer whether they are targetting immediate big-league returns or a deeper prospect package.