With the MLB Trade Deadline less than a week away, the New York Yankees are looking for reinforcements to their lineup. Injuries to stars like Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and now Cody Bellinger have decimated the lineup. Meanwhile, several other positions seem to need to be upgraded.
In Queens, the New York Mets are having a very different season. At 45-62, the Mets are one of the worst teams by record in all of baseball. That’s despite coming into the year as a popular World Series pick. So, now, they’re left to figure out how to improve the roster moving forward.
It’s with that in mind that the rivals could come together to make a trade for Mets star Francisco Lindor. After being in the Top 10 for MVP voting the last four seasons, Lindor may be having a down season, but a change of scenery could help him get back on track. Meanwhile, the Yankees would love to find a way to upgrade their infield, and specifically the shortstop position.
ESPN Connects the New York Yankees and Francisco Lindor in a Trade
GettyNew York Mets SS Francisco Lindor
In a recent exercise, several ESPN writers came up with some trades that they’d like to see happen. That included a trade between the New York Yankees and New York Mets for Francisco Lindor.
Jorge Castillo of ESPN explained why this would make sense from the Yankees’ point of view. Lindor has a big contract, so the Mets may need to absorb some of the cost to get the deal done, but with rumors that he and Juan Soto have personal tensions, it might be worth doing for the Mets.
“The Yankees need to address shortstop and could use another difference-making player with Aaron Judge nursing a rib injury. Lindor, who has full no-trade protection at this point, can stay in New York and play for a contender. And the Mets would be able to shed a big contract while breaking up the Lindor dynamic with Juan Soto, which clearly is not working,” Castillo wrote.
“How much of Lindor’s remaining contract — five years and $160 million after this season — the Mets are willing to absorb will impact what kind of talent they want back. The Yankees wouldn’t offer George Lombard Jr. — who can come up and play third base, another position of need. But maybe they can offer another shortstop in Dax Kilby, last year’s No. 39 overall pick.”
Lindor, now 32 years old, is well into what looks like the worst season of his career. He’s hitting just .233 with a .318 OBP, a .425 slugging percentage, and a .743 OPS. If the season ended today, his only worse season statistically would have been the shortened 2020 season. Defensively, Lindor has a .963 fielding percentage at shortstop. That’s the worst of his career, too.
There’s still time to turn things around for Lindor. Perhaps a change of scenery to the Yankees could spark that.
Anthony Volpe is Struggling for the Yankees
GettyNew York Yankees SS Anthony Volpe
At one point, the hope was that Anthony Volpe could be the long-term answer at shortstop for the Yankees. Now, they’re being connected to rival shortstops, like Lindor, in trade rumors. It goes to show just how bad things have gotten for Volpe.
In 2026, Volpe is hitting .250 for the season with a .343 OBP, a .333 slugging percentage, and a .676 OPS. He only has 1 home run and 17 RBIs in 51 games. Of course, that’s a higher average than his career with less power than he’d shown in the past.
Defensively, Volpe has struggled, too. He led the league in errors a season ago. Even with some improvement in 2026, there’s a growing frustration around his play at shortstop.
Per Baseball Savant, Volpe has actually been very good defensively. He’s in the 80th percentile for Fielding Run Value, and it’s only his arm strength that’s let him down.
Due to a lack of plate appearances this season, Volpe isn’t qualified for percentile rankings in terms of Batting Run Value or Baserunning Value. However, he’d be below the 50th percentile in each metric if he were qualified. In particular, as he’s struggled to barrel the ball or hit with slug this season.
In an ideal world, Volpe would turn things around for the Yankees. However, there are options at the Trade Deadline if the Yankees do choose to make a change.
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