The Mets and Indians have agreed to a deal that will see New York acquire shortstop Francisco Lindor and right-hander Carlos Carrasco.  ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan (Twitter links) was the first to report that the two teams were “deep in talks” about a Lindor deal, and MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported Carrasco’s involvement in the swap.  According to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, the two sides have agreed to the trade.

For moving their star shortstop, Cleveland will receive two prominent young infielders.  MLB Pipeline’s Jonathan Mayo reports that Amed Rosario is part of the trade package, while Passan adds that Andres Gimenez is also going to Cleveland.  The Mets will also move two prospects — right-hander Josh Wolf (via The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal) and outfielder Isaiah Greene (as per ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel).

The Cleveland Indians, severely strapped for money, are informing teams that they intend to trade All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor by opening day, according to two rival executives.

The executives spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of trade talks.

Cleveland shopped Lindor last winter, and were in serious negotiations with the Los Angeles Dodgers in a deal that involved shortstop Corey Seager, but decided to hang onto him when the Dodgers declined to increase their offer.

Now, Cleveland may have no choice with Lindor expected to earn about $20 million in salary arbitration for the 2021 season, and will be eligible for free agency after the season.

The New York Mets would likely be a strong suitor for Lindor with billionaire Steve Cohen becoming the Mets’ new owner.

On Thursday, Lindor was asked about staying with Cleveland, specifically whether the club can afford to retain him. His response? “Of course. It’s a billion-dollar team,” according to The Athletic’s Zack Meisel. Lindor then noted MLB recently signed a new $3 billion television deal with TBS. Also, MLB signed a $5.1 billion extension with Fox that begins in 2022.

Lindor has reportedly turned down contract extension overtures in the post, including a $100 million deal back in 2017. That doesn’t mean he does not want to stay in Cleveland, however. It just means he wants fair market value and doesn’t want to sell himself short. Betts did the same thing, and when the Dodgers met his asking price, he passed on free agency and signed long-term in L.A.

Cleveland is among the lowest spenders in the sport each year and the club’s Opening Day payrolls have shrunk from $134 million in 2018 to $120 million in 2019 to $96 million in 2020 (full season payroll). They figure to be among the teams hit hardest by the pandemic, which could mean a further payroll reduction in 2021. Keeping Lindor will be close to impossible in that case.