It appears the Mets will go into Opening Day without locking up Francisco Lindor to a long-term deal after recent reports indicated the two sides were at a stalemate with no further discussions expected, and while some are clamoring for new Mets owner Steve Cohen to dish out more money to get a deal done, one former Met believes the team has made a more than fair offer.
Todd Zeile, now an analyst with SNY, joined Moose & Maggie on Wednesday to talk Lindor and the 10-year, $325 million deal the Mets have offered him, which Zeile thinks should be enough to get something done.
"I'm only surprised because I think that the Mets have done everything that they really should be compelled to do at this point to try and get a deal signed," Zeile said. "Sometimes the team can make not just a fair offer but an aggressively fair offer, but them on top of the market, show good faith in trying to get something done, and the player just has different expectations."
Lindor has reportedly countered with 12 years and $385 million, more total value than fellow superstar shortstop Fernando Tatis' $340 million deal he signed this past offseason, but at 27 years old, Zeile believes 10 years is a reasonable offer from Cohen.
"It looks like it's being held up in the extra years…it's a lot," Zeile said. "I can understand if the Mets say 'Hey, 10 and 325 is top of the market and it's a great offer, we don't want to go higher than that.' I can still respect that offer. It's a good offer. I'm a little bit surprised they haven't gotten it done…at some point the Mets have to look themselves in the mirror and say 'look, we've done everything we can to get this guy for long term. We're not going to do anything reckless and maybe it's time to focus on six months of baseball.'"
Many have already begun to anticipate the "Same old Mets" reactions that may arise should a deal not be reached by the Opening Day deadline, but Zeile would see that as an unfair criticism for a new ownership group that has eclipsed $300 million in offered money for Lindor, who would be part of a stacked group of star shortstops entering free agency this coming winter.
"I think a mess would be a little overstated," Zeile said. "It gives that sort of Mets fan that connotation of 'oh, here we go again, we didn't get it done.' But they're not getting it done because they're not putting together a more than fair offer. They made a trade, they knew they were going to be exposed to this possible outcome. There was no pre-agreed extension and still made that trade. They wanted to do what they could to win now and extend this guy long term. I don't think it would be a mess, but I do think just the thought of it being a mess is added leverage to Lindor and his agent."
Zeile hasn't completely lost hope that a deal could get done, whether it be before Opening Day or in the offseason, but if it doesn't happen, he doesn't see the reason being a lack of aggressiveness from the Mets' front office.
"Lindor I think is getting both sides of the coin in this case, so I think it is one I think I would stand on a little bit if I were the Mets, and maybe there is some compromise that still exists between those two offers," Zeile said.
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