Braves should be an option if Indians deal Lindor

Francisco Lindor evidently knows his time in Cleveland is short.

Lindor said earlier this week he will not even listen to an offer from the Indians, which means the team should likely consider trading their star shortstop as soon as they can.

If the Indians did put him on the block, one of the first teams they should engage with is the Atlanta Braves.

Lindor would look great in a lineup with Ronald Acuna, Jr., Ozzie Albies and Freddie Freeman.

While Atlanta's current shortstop Dansby Swanson still has a ton of value, we're talking about Francisco Lindor. He's a star. And it would be very difficult to not have interest in a player of his stature.

Of course, the Braves would not need to trade for Lindor if they thought they could not afford him for the long-term. Lindor is going to cost a fortune, but if Liberty Media would allow the Braves to invest in a player of his caliber, Lindor would be a perfect fit.

Combining his energy with that of Acuna and Albies would make the Braves a tremendous team moving forward. Lindor's presence in the lineup would give the Braves one of the best batting orders in the game. And his defense would give the Braves an improvement even over what Swanson adds with the glove.

So, if and when we can have trades again in baseball, keep this in mind. Lindor is leaving Cleveland one way or the other, and Atlanta should have him at the top of their list.

Listen to The Bill Shanks Show weekdays at 3:00 p.m. ET on Middle Georgia’s ESPN. You can listen online at TheSuperStations.com. Follow Bill on Twitter at @billshanks and you can email him at thebillshanksshow@yahoo.com.