Francisco Lindor: A trade this winter is more likely than one on August 3

The trade deadline is fast approaching. It's a safe bet that, at the start of the season, the New York Mets saw themselves as buyers come August 3. However, the opposite will likely happen.

The team's front office is doing its homework and listening to offers from their rivals. In their position, that's the right thing to do.

Speaking of opposing teams, we're hearing here and there from them that a trade involving Francisco Lindor is more likely to happen this winter than within the next 14 days. The rumor mill is running wild about him, since he isn't one of New York's untouchables. 

Come to think of it, that assumption makes sense. Lindor still has five years left on his contract and $160 million remaining to be paid out. All of that, on top of having a no-trade clause.

Of course, there's no indication that he'll actually be traded. But if it does happen, the offseason is the most likely time for it to occur.

A breath of fresh air for both teams

Things just aren't clicking in the Mets' locker room. Changes need to be made, and management has chosen the players it wants to go to war with. All signs point to management having decided in favor of Juan Soto, rather than Lindor, the team's other star. Such is life. Team owner Steve Cohen has fallen in love with his new player, and, as the saying goes, you can't stop a heart from loving.

Overnight, Soto has become the face of the New York team, replacing the 32-year-old shortstop without warning. The Soto/Lindor dynamic—two Latin players—has all the makings of a telenovela. Highly entertaining, dramatic, and gripping, but at some point, things go south, and a character always ends up dying or leaving mysteriously. Lindor will apparently play that role in the storyline, and according to outside rumors, it might happen this winter.

What Lindor thinks of all this

He says he doesn't care, because it's coming from outside the organization, not from within. If it were coming from the organization, it would be different, but that's not the case. We can believe him. 

We can also believe him when he says his family is affected by all the buzz surrounding him. He's human, after all. It's hard for ordinary people when a personal situation ends up affecting those you love. It must be even harder when you're a public figure!

Given all of this, it would be a huge surprise if Lindor were to see out his contract in Queens. In fact, the odds are very good that he'll leave this winter, once he's focused on his future rather than the current season—let alone the next game. 

He'll be able to think things through calmly, with his family, about what's best for the rest of his career and approve a trade involving him on the Mets' part. That's what his no-trade clause is for! In fact, the next two weeks will most likely be spent laying the groundwork for what's likely to happen this winter. 

• Trevor Story is making progress.

• Adley Rutschman is injured.

• Yimi Garcia could pitch in the minors soon, Jesus Sanchez is nearing rehab games, and Max Scherzer is set to pitch in Triple-A on Wednesday.

• Players of the Week.

• Cam Schlittler needs to learn not to rely solely on others' comments for motivation.

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