Trading Francisco Lindor to save money would be the Mets selling low on a star who just found his swing again after a hamate injury.

The trade chatter heading into this offseason comes down to one thing. Money, plain and simple.

And on the surface, the 2026 line gives critics some cover. He hit 21 home runs in 105 games after topping 30 homers and 100 RBIs in each of the previous three seasons.

The first half was rough. Five home runs and an 89 wRC+ had a big chunk of Mets fans convinced the 32-year-old was washed.

So what did those fans miss? Hamate injuries are known for causing short-term power outages, and that's exactly what this looked like.

The second half answered the question. He tied for seventh in baseball with 16 home runs, ahead of 40-homer sluggers Kyle Schwarber, Junior Caminero and Hunter Goodman.

A .242 BABIP hid how good Lindor really was

The full-season numbers carried another drag. That BABIP sat far below where it had lived for the rest of his career.

A mark that low on a hitter with his history usually reads as bad luck. And bad luck rarely shows up two years running.

Judging his 2026 off the final stat line is like reviewing a restaurant on the night the kitchen flooded. The food was never the problem.

Late September brought a milestone, too. The veteran launched his 300th career home run, coming from a bat whose power had plainly returned.

Over the last four seasons combined, he's tied with Manny Machado for 10th in baseball with 116 home runs. Declining players don't hang around that leaderboard.

Moving him now would be a bad baseball trade dressed up as financial discipline. Any return would be priced off the down year, with the second-half version thrown in for free.

Rival front offices know the hamate story as well as anyone. They'll quote the 21-homer total in negotiations and quietly bank on the guy who showed up after the break.

Think about the timing, too. Selling Lindor coming off an injury-hit year means accepting a discount that a healthy spring could erase within weeks.

The Mets have to decide what scares them more, the money or a lineup without him. Only one of those problems has a chance to look smaller by Opening Day.