Francisco Lindor’s contract message to the Mets: I’m the best shortstop

If the Mets fail to lock him in with an extension, Francisco Lindor could find out next offseason exactly where he sits among the game’s best shortstops.

In the meantime, the new Mets superstar thinks he already knows the answer.

“Overall? Me,” Lindor told Sports Illustrated, when asked what the best shortstop was. “Because I will do it every day. I count on myself every day. Every day. Trevor’s story “Love watching him. We’re talking hitting and defending. The best hands in the shortstop position right now are Freddy Galvis and Andrelton Simmons. Top hitter? When?” [Corey] Seager is at his level, I think he’s the better hitter.

“If we go tool by tool, a lot of them are better than me. [Fernando] Tatis [Jr.]? He is incredible. And [Javier] Báez? I’ve been playing Báez since I was growing up and it’s like, ‘Brother, how do you do that? ”

“There’s that nice balance between being confident and being arrogant. Sometimes for me it’s hard to tell who’s the best shortstop. Why? Because of this beautiful balance. I’m confident. I think I am the best shortstop.

The Mets hope to sign Lindor for an extension before he can become a free agent next winter, having traded for himself and Carlos Carrasco in a deal with the Indians in January.

But if Lindor hits the open market, he’ll join a class of free agent shortstop stars that are expected to include Seager, Story, Baez and Carlos Correa.

So far, the 27-year-old Lindor – four-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove shortstop and two-time Silver Slugger – is preparing for the 2021 season, his first in a Mets uniform after a year of downtime during the 2020 shortened.