One day till Opening Day. In just over a days time, the "new look" New York Mets will take the field. This Mets lineup is undoubtably one of the best Opening Day lineups that the club has ever had. I mean, when you add a Top 15 Player in all of Major League Baseball it usually helps bolster the lineup. The Mets got significantly better this off-season. They arguably had their best off-season in franchise history. Steve Cohen hit this organization with a defibrillator. There's life and buzz around this team like I've never seen before. Now, that being said, there's still one more piece of business to attend to before Brandon Nimmo steps into the box against Nationals ace Max Scherzer. That would be the extension of Francisco Lindor.
When the Mets traded for Francisco Lindor on January 7th the extension shot clock began to click. Francisco has remained consistent, he said he would not talk about a contract extension once the season has started. Well the season starts tomorrow and Lindor has yet to be resigned. Lindor had a terrific Spring Campaign. He hit over .300, hit 4 homers and drove in 14 runs in 16 games. He also shined on the defensive side of the ball. He's been as good as advertised. Now I know Lindor doesn't want to negotiate during the season. He wants to focus on the game itself but, if those are the numbers he's gonna put up when he's negotiating a contract? Sign me up for life. If they don't get the deal done, Mets fans should treat Lindor like a fucking god. Make this man fall in love with playing in New York. You shouldn't hate Lindor for betting on himself. If he doesn't resign, the Mets will have a Top 15 Player in the league playing on a championship caliber Mets team in a contract year.
From what we know, the Mets made a very aggressive offer. 10 Years, $325 Million. Lindor countered that offer with 12 Years, $385 Million. The Mets offer has Francisco making $32.5 Million a year, while Francisco's offer has him making $32 Million a year but with an additional two years tacked on. This entire negotiation process has been a roller coaster.
If you're a Mets fan, it's sometimes easy to get down on yourself and look for the negatives. In the past, i'd be right there with you. I mean it's sometimes challenging to keep your chin up when the owner of the damn team is tweeting shit like this. However, I am not going to do that here. I refuse to get negative in this new era of Mets baseball. So, here's a positive spin that I saw on Twitter, shout out @Miss_Met for the take, shout out me for the screenshot.
I started thinking about it from this prospective though. Lindor's counter offer would make him a New York Mets player till age 40. He would be a Met for life. Lindor wants to be here. The Mets want him to be here. If you were negotiating this type of life changing contract why wouldn't you let this get all the way down to the buzzer to get their best and final shot. I truly believe this deal gets done. I really believe that he will be wearing orange and blue till he's 40 years old.
The Mets want a Lindor partnership, Mets fans want one, Mets players want one and I truly believe Lindor wants one too. So here I am, speaking it into the universe. Francisco will sign his extension today. He will be a Met for life. The long term answer at short stop. The face of the franchise. He''ll be a World Champion in Queens. He will have his number in the rafters at Citi Field. He'll have a David Wright level send off and he will be wearing a Mets hat on his plaque in Cooperstown. Why? because this is how this era of Mets baseball will start, with thunder. This is a special core and resigning Mr. Smiles is only the beginning. Let's Fucking Go Mets Baby.
Happy Opening Day Mets Fans.
PS. If he doesn't sign before Opening Day we will resign him in the Offseason when he's hungover on a parade float.
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