Over the course of the past few days, former New York Mets general manager Zack Scott told reporters that the Toronto Blue Jays missed out on acquiring Francisco Lindor from Cleveland.
New sources have now revealed that the Guardians ended up going with the Mets offer after Atkins decided to make then rookie pitcher Alek Manoah the centerpiece of the deal in which the Guardians did not believe he was a proven pitcher despite having a great year in 2021.
This happened during the off-season as I reported a few years ago, right after Alek Manoah's first year within the organization. Manoah was the centerpiece of the trade going the other way for a season of Lindor.
Well it looks like the Guardians were right in not wanting to risk in on Manoah who only had 1 solid season under his belt while Lindor was an established all-star at that point. Manoah has basically struggled pretty much ever since that season proving that the Guardians made the right move.
If the Blue Jays would have been able to land Lindor, they would likely have been an entirely different team this past season but unfortunately all fans can do is dream of a world were Lindor is on the Blue Jays after he signed a massive extension with the Mets after the trade.