When the Mets traded for Francisco Lindor back in January, it was a franchise-altering move. The team was bringing in a 27-year-old superstar with an opportunity to extend him for the long term, which it did shortly before the 2021 season got underway.
What transpired in Lindor’s first year with the Mets was something of a mixed bag, primarily because of a very slow start at the plate. From the beginning of the season through the end of May, Lindor hit just .194/.294/.294 with four home runs and a 70 wRC+. He played his usual brand of excellent defense at shortstop and was an upbeat, vocal member of the team throughout those struggles, but as has been the case with some other big new arrivals in Queens in the past, he wasn’t quite himself as a hitter in the early going.