The New York Mets have numerous key things they must accomplish this offseason, and one of those things is improving the roster with better defensive talent. For them to accomplish this, they can’t run it back with all of Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, and Pete Alonso, if they re-sign him with Alonso being a player the Mets covet.
After the collapse the Mets had last season too, it leaves the roster in a spot where no one is truly safe to remain on the team. With this, it is clear that Francisco Lindor would become a prime trade candidate for the Mets. If this ends up being the case, the team that makes sense to trade for Francisco Lindor is the San Diego Padres.
*THIS IS A PREDICTION, NOT A REPORT*
More MLB Content From TWSN:
No, The Los Angeles Dodgers Aren’t Ruining Baseball
San Diego Padres Trade Fernando Tatis Jr to the New York Yankees
Texas Rangers Trade Corey Seager to the Boston Red Sox
New York Mets Trade Francisco Lindor to the San Diego Padres
For New York to trade Francisco Lindor, they will have to find a team that has the payroll capable of taking on the remaining six years of the original 10-year, $341 million contract the Mets signed him to. The team that can do that, while also having a need at shortstop, is the San Diego Padres.
San Diego saw Ha-Seong Kim enter free agency, creating a void now at the shortstop spot. The Padres could look to move Xander Bogaerts there, as he has experience playing there, but that would then create a void at second base. The Padres should be looking for a Kim replacement externally first, and a trade for Francisco Lindor would help them achieve this.
Francisco Landor’s 2025 season in New York was not fantastic, as he had a down year compared to previous seasons, but still ended up producing a .267/.346/.466 slash line with 31 home runs and 86 RBIs. That type of production is still enough to make him an attractive trade target, especially considering he just had an MVP-caliber season in 2024 with a .273/.344/.500 slash line with 33 home runs and 91 RBIs.
If Francisco Lindor, with a change of scenery, can get back to playing at his 2024 level, he can provide a much-needed spark for the Padres ahead of the 2026 MLB season.