January 16, 2025

In the 2021 MLB offseason, new owner Steve Cohen made his first major and possibly best move as owner, trading for shortstop Fransisco Lindor. 

With that trade being a little over 4 years ago let’s look back on the trade and see who won.

After getting traded to the Mets Lindor inked a 10-year $341 million deal which would lock him up until 2031. The first year of Lindors Mets’s career was rocky; he had a .230 average, 20 home runs, and 62 RBIs, but from that point, he only improved. In 2023 he posted a 30 home run, 30 stolen base season, was 2nd in the NL MVP voting, 3x All-MLB, and 2x Silver Slugger.

The second player the Mets received in the deal was pitcher Carlos Carrasco. Carrasco spent 3 years with the Mets where he was very inconsistent. In his first season, he missed half the season due to injury and in 53.2 innings he had a 5.22 ERA, 1.435 WHIP, -0.8 WAR, and a 1-5 record. In 2022 he did not deal with injuries and pitched 152 total innings where he posted a 3.97 ERA, 1.329 WHIP, and a 15-7 record. Carrasco had a terrible year in his third and final year in a Mets uniform, having a 6.80 ERA, 3-8 record, 1.700 WHIP in 90 innings.

The Guardians received Andres Gimenez, Josh Wolf, Amed Rosario, and Isiah Green in the trade.

Both pitcher Josh Wolf and outfielder Isiah Green never saw any major league action, Josh Wolf is currently with the Giants, and Isiah Green is still with the Guardians in the minor league system at 24 years old.

Both 2nd baseman Andres Gimenez and shortstop Amed Rosario both had some decent playing time in Cleveland. 

Amed Rosario played 388 games with the Guardians where he had a .278 batting average, 5.9 WAR, 25 homers, and 168 RBIs. After his time with the Guardians, Rosario played for the Dodgers, Rays, and Reds from 2023 to 2024. 

Andres Gimenez has had a very positive impact on the Guardians. In 4 years with the Guardians he was a 1x All-Star, 3x Gold Glove, and a platinum glove winner. Offensively, Gimenez had a .261 batting average, 46 home runs, and 210 RBIs in 519 games. This past offseason the 26-year-old was traded to the Blue Jays.

In Lindor’s time with the Mets, he made the playoffs twice, in 2022 and 2024. In 2024, as the NL MVP runner-up, he helped the Mets advance to the NLCS and put together some major plays in the run, like a grand slam in game 4 of the NLDS and go ahead HR vs the Braves to clinch the playoffs.

Since the trade, the Guardians have made the playoffs twice, in 2022 and 2024 like the Mets. In 2022 Clevland lost in the ALDS and in 2024 they lost in the ALCS.

Looking back on the trade, the Mets have gotten the most out of the trade and got a once-in-a-lifetime player whose impacts are seen every day on offense and defense.