Photo: USA Today

With each home run New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor hits, you can just feel the fan base getting more worried about him not being locked up to a long-term contract extension yet. And you know what? It’s not outrageous to feel that way — this is the Mets, after all. But, let’s not forget, it’s not the same old people running the joint. Either way, old habits die hard.

After Lindor slugged a grand slam on Friday afternoon, I made the following joke as we continue to (im)patiently wait for an extension to become official:

It was all in good fun, obviously, but with some of the replies, I could feel the anxiousness continuing to build.

With each step of Lindor’s contract negotiations seemingly getting leaked on Twitter — most recently on Sunday by Jon Heyman — it’s easy to see why the shortstop is unwilling to negotiate once the regular season starts. This type of stuff wouldn’t just be in the back of his mind. It’d also consistently dominate the news cycle when any new detail emerged. In just a short period of time, we’ve seen how thoughtful and calculated Lindor can be, so we know that’s the last thing he wants.

Is time running out before an agreement happens? Yes — there’s about a week and a half left before the Mets head north to face the Washington Nationals in DC. So, naturally, people are going to get nervous. As we wait to see what transpires in the coming days, I felt it was important to try and keep things in perspective to calm our nerves.

They’re In The Same Ballpark

With reports of the Mets’ initial offer being below $300 million and Lindor’s representation countering with a number well north of $300 million, it’s easy to immediately get frustrated. Virtually everyone knows it’ll take at least that number to keep Lindor in Flushing for the next decade, so why start with what appears to be a lowball offer?

Well, this is how negotiations work. Both sides start by offering a figure that’d get the deal done for them, and when they see where each party currently stands, that’s when a compromise in the middle can be found to make everyone happy. One would imagine that the $340 million just awarded to Fernando Tatis Jr. is a figure that’s been brought up at least once, and while we don’t know the exact number of the counter-offer from Lindor’s reps, I wouldn’t be shocked if it was above what Tatis just raked in.

Knowing the general information about these offers shows both sides aren’t necessarily close in striking a deal yet, but it’s a lot closer than Lindor’s extension discussions with Cleveland. Heyman reminded us that about this time a year ago, the shortstop’s reps turned down a $200 million offer. Considering how different the financial situation is for each franchise, the Mets are in the same ballpark while Cleveland was about a million miles away.

There’s Actually Still Plenty of Time

Opening Day is fast approaching, but momentum can be generated quite quickly. It’s amazing how motivated some people are when their backs are pressed up against a deadline.

Friend of MMO, Christopher Soto, made a great point last Friday after Mike Puma of The New York Post tweeted there hadn’t been much movement in extension talks for Lindor or Michael Conforto:

Remember how stressed many of us were about Jacob deGrom getting the long-term contract he deserved? It certainly didn’t seem like an agreement would happen, but of course, leave it to David Wright to be the savior.

Whatever the figure ends up being if Lindor signs a deal before Opening Day, it’ll easily be a new franchise record. This is not small potatoes here — owner Steve Cohen has deep pockets to put top talent on the field, but $300-plus million is still $300-plus million. The front office won’t just ask a player’s reps what they want and simply draft up a contract. This is still a huge commitment — financial and otherwise — for everyone involved, so it only makes sense to go through the process slowly and with everyone’s eyes wide open.

It doesn’t necessarily help my agita that Opening Day is less than two weeks away and Lindor still hasn’t signed an extension, but it’s not like we’re on the eve of Game 1 out of 162.

Everyone Is Aware of What’s At Stake

It wasn’t too long ago that the Mets were being run by people who had no business in running an MLB organization. With competent ownership and an experienced front office now in place, everybody is aware of what they’re doing here.

It’s unlikely that all the players they’d like to extend will sign on the dotted line before Opening Day (like Conforto), but Lindor is the most important one. We’ve seen Sandy Alderson’s group do some things that didn’t line up with one another over the winter, like drawing a hard line in negotiations for George Springer but being willing to blow it all up to sign Trevor Bauer.

Even though those two situations may not make a ton of sense when compared side-by-side, it tells me one thing: when push comes to shove, this regime is willing to stretch if they truly want a certain player. If they truly want Lindor — and signs are pointing to yes if they’re already willing to pay him at least $300 million — something will get done.

That may just be the optimist in me talking, but I can’t see this regime drawing a line in the sand if they’re somewhere between $40 and $60 million apart in negotiations. There are lots of creative ways to find common ground, and after spending 15-plus years with the Boston Red Sox, acting general manager Zack Scott likely feels comfortable in this position.

So, it’s OK to feel nervous about Lindor’s contract negotiations — that just shows we care as fans. I’m not going to be truly worried about him not being in Flushing for the foreseeable future until he steps on the field at Nationals Park without agreeing to an extension, though.