Cleveland Indians: Francisco Lindor was smart to turn down contract offer

The Cleveland Indians reportedly offered Francisco Lindor a major extension this preseason, but the young shortstop turned it down.

Some interesting news broke last night regarding the Cleveland Indians and a potential contract extension for the face of the franchise, Francisco Lindor.

An article by SI’s Tom Verducci claimed the Indians offered an extension in the $100 million range, but Lindor turned it down.

Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com had this to say about the alleged offer:

"While Cleveland.com has not confirmed the amount, it is known that the Indians made Lindor, who went to the All-Star Game last year in his first full season in the big leagues, a ‘substantial’ offer."

Now let’s assume, for the sake of this article, that the Indians did indeed throw that number out there and Lindor turned it down. That would mean he turned down the chance to make millions this year, instead taking in the $579,300 in salary he is owed in 2017.

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While some would have jumped at the money, Lindor knows he is in no rush to sign a team-friendly extension. While the deal from the Indians may have offered Lindor a steady sum of anywhere from $12-15 million per year, he may have his eye on a contract similar to Mike Trout‘s, where the Angels star is set to bring in over $34 million each year from 2018-2020.

The Indians were smart to make an early offer to Lindor, but it was even smarter for the star shortstop to turn it down. He has only played one full season in Cleveland but has already become one of the faces of not only the team, but of the game of baseball.

He and his agent know that his stock is only going to continue to rise, meaning the Indians will have to offer him a team-record deal to keep him in town long-term. Fans may get frustrated by this, but Lindor is simply seeking out market value for his services. Can’t blame him for that.

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He now needs to continue playing at an elite level to make this decision one he won’t regret, but it would be hard to imagine Lindor slowing down anytime soon.