Mets' Francisco Lindor names what he misses most about Cleveland

Shortstop Francisco Lindor returned to Progressive Field as a member of the New York Mets on Monday for the first time since the franchise now known as the Cleveland Guardians traded him to the Mets after the 2020 season. 

Lindor offered a humorous and direct answer when asked what he missed most about being with Cleveland. 

"Winning," Lindor said, as shared by Tom Withers of the Associated Press. "There’s nothing better than winning. I know we didn’t finish the ultimate goal. We didn’t close it out, but just the experiences of winning and pouring champagne on each other and creating memories that way with teammates, their families, our whole entire family, front office."

Lindor earned four All-Star nods with Cleveland from 2015 through the 2020 campaign and was part of the squad that faced the Chicago Cubs in the 2016 World Series. Cleveland held a 3-1 series lead before the Cubs rallied back to claim the franchise's first World Series title since 1908. 

Lindor never returned to baseball's biggest stage with Cleveland and has since played in just three postseason games with the Mets after he signed a 10-year contract extension that could be worth up to $341M ahead of the 2021 campaign. 

He won his third career Silver Slugger Award for his play last season, but Mets owner Steve Cohen signed off on a summer fire sale in July 2023 when the club was struggling to consistently win games. 

New York fell to 21-26 for the ongoing season following Monday's 3-1 loss in Cleveland. 

"I think about it a lot," Lindor said about the 2016 squad that finished one win shy of achieving its ultimate goal. "Probably until I win one or maybe after I still think about it. I think it’s, that’s just part of the journey."

As for the first-place Guardians, they entered Tuesday's game versus New York at 31-17. While things are going poorly for both Lindor and the Mets ahead of Memorial Day, he seems to have no regrets about declining to sign an extension with Cleveland years ago. 

"It was just a matter of us coming to a good (salary) number," Lindor said about the situation. "But it’s a business and I fully understand their decision, and I’m happy they sent me to New York."