Los Angeles Angels: 3 reasons to trade for Francisco Lindor

The Angels need pitching, but they absolutely could use Francisco Lindor.

Francisco Lindor is one of the best players in the league and inarguably one of the best shortstops in baseball. Players of this ilk do not become available at a high frequency and the Cleveland Indians will likely be fielding calls from lots of suitors this winter. Lindor will be just 27 years old at the start of the 2021 season and will be a free agent at the end of it all. In all likelihood, he will receive an enormous contract extension from whoever decides to trade for him. This begs the question of ‘Why can’t it be the Angels?’. The answer is that it actually can be. The Angels should be prioritizing impact pitching this winter, but with someone as impactful on a baseball game as Francisco Lindor available, the team would be mistaken if they thought they should pass.

Imagine an offensive core of Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon, Francisco Lindor, and Shohei Ohtani? That would be one of the best middle of the order punches in the entire league, if not the best. This doesn’t even factor in the supplementary pieces the Angels have around their current stars and the high ceiling of Jo Adell.

Francisco Lindor had a down season in 2020, posting just a 100 wRC+. We all know this isn’t what we should expect from Lindor going forward, but it might be good in terms of his trade value for other clubs. Given that the Indians are intent on trading him with whispers that he has actually requested to be dealt, the Angels would hold all the leverage.

Lindor is an excellent ballplayer that could mix in with the Angels’ long-term core and he could even brighten up a very silent led clubhouse. The Halos have the prospects to get it done and he would move the Angels from a solid team to potentially a bonafide contender. It also helps that the Angels just opened up a spot at shortstop with the likely departure of Andrelton Simmons.

Let’s take a look at six reasons why the Angels should pursue Francisco Lindor this winter.

Superstardom

The first reason is that Francisco Lindor is downright amazing at the game of baseball. While he only holds a career 118 wRC+, he has already posted 28.9 WAR in his first six seasons in the major leagues, counting a shortened rookie season and a shortened 2020 season. Since 2016, Lindor ranks sixth in all of baseball in wins above replacement. The list of men he is behind is as follows: Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Christian Yelich, Anthony Rendon, and Jose Ramirez. Yes, Lindor would give the Angels three of the best six players in the entire sport since 2016.

The Angels can make this move for a variety of reasons. While they are likely just a dark horse candidate in the media, they might internally be weighing this option. Lindor fits the team extremely well — he fits any team well — given both his offensive and defensive prowess.

Lindor would likely bat leadoff for the Angels in front of Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon, and Shohei Ohtani. He could provide the Angels’ lineup with a similar jolt to the one Mookie Betts provided to the Dodgers’ already star studded lineup.

Yes, the Angels need pitching, but you don’t find generational talents like Lindor growing on trees.

Personality and Marketability

Francisco Lindor can be best characterized by his electric, white smile that all Major League Baseball fans can recognize. MLB continues to market Lindor in an excellent fashion. Not only is he one of the best players in the entire sport, he also happens to be one of the most exciting and cordial. Lindor’s background has always been one to root for. This type of dynamic athlete who can also grab headlines in a good way could be a welcome addition to an Angels clubhouse that is currently on the more boring side.

Having Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon on your roster are excellent from a baseball perspective, but they are more of the silent leader types. Lindor is a leader in a very different way, demonstrating that across his team with the Cleveland Indians. While Trout is inarguably the best player in baseball, Lindor has his own argument as the actual face of the entire sport.

The Angels would be creating a bigger draw for ticket sales in the future with Lindor in tow and it might even convince Arte Moreno to spend more in future off-seasons if he were to make up the revenue.