The second half of the 2026 Major League Baseball season began with a report that shook up the New York Mets’ landscape a bit. According to reporter Chelsea Janes, the organization has already informed rival teams that it is willing to listen to offers for virtually its entire roster before the trade deadline, including star Puerto Rican player Francisco Lindor.

The report notes that only Juan Soto and the young players Carson Benge, AJ Ewing, Christian Scott, and Nolan McLean would be considered untouchable. The rest of the roster would be available for discussion, though that does not mean everyone will be traded. However, one name stands out above the rest: Francisco Lindor, whose exclusion from that group could be interpreted as a loss of his “untouchable” status within the team.

The absence of the Puerto Rican shortstop from the list of five protected players sparks an inevitable debate about his place within the franchise’s plans. It cannot yet be confirmed that the team based at Citi Field is looking to part ways with him, but it is clear they are willing to listen to offers, a scenario that would have been hard to imagine in recent seasons.

Francisco Lindor's performance fuels debate over a possible trade

The context of the sport also helps explain why management might be willing to consider offers for Francisco Lindor and no longer view him as one of the “untouchables.” While he remains one of the franchise’s cornerstones, the shortstop is having a 2026 season that falls short of the standards he set in New York. His offensive and defensive metrics reflect a decline in performance compared to recent seasons, a factor that inevitably fuels the debate about his role within the team’s plans.

On offense, the infielder is posting an expected batting average (xBA) of .255, an expected slugging percentage (xSLG) of .438, and an xwOBA of .338, numbers that fall below those he posted in 2024 and 2025. Although he maintains a solid hard-hit rate (49.2% Hard Hit), his actual production dropped to a .291 wOBA, the lowest mark of his career since the shortened 2020 season. Furthermore, his walk rate (9.1%) and strikeout rate (15.4%) remain within acceptable ranges, but they have not been enough to offset his diminished offensive impact. Traditional stats also reflect this decline, with just five home runs, 12 RBIs, and an OPS below his usual levels at this stage of the season.

The decline is also evident in his defense. After recording 15 Outs Above Average (OAA) in 2024 and five in 2025, the Puerto Rican has posted just one so far in 2026, his lowest total since Statcast introduced this metric. Similarly, his Fielding Run Value dropped from 13 runs saved in 2024 to three in 2025 and just two so far this season. Although he remains a reliable shortstop, the metrics show that he is no longer making the same defensive impact that for years made him one of the best players at his position. All these metrics are taken from Baseball Savant.

A trade remains complicated

Despite this, finalizing a trade seems much more complex than simply putting his name on the table. Former general manager and analyst Jim Duquette said that several potential buyer teams find it difficult to negotiate a deal due to the terms of the Puerto Rican player’s contract.

As he explained, the length of the contract, the limited no-trade clause, and the remaining salary significantly reduce the number of organizations capable of taking on that financial commitment. In fact, one of the executives consulted described Lindor as “untouchable for now,” even though the Mets would be open to offers.

Chelsea Janes’ report also indicates that the New York front office began receiving calls at the start of the second half of the season a strategy that would allow negotiations to proceed more calmly before the official closing of the trade market.

For now, the message seems clear: the New York Mets will evaluate offers for nearly all of their players, including Francisco Lindor. Whether a trade ultimately materializes is a completely different story, but the fact that one of the franchise’s star players is no longer among the few considered untouchable is one of the most striking developments leading up to the MLB trade deadline