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Phil Long/Associated Press

Will the Cleveland Indians get serious about trading Francisco Lindor this offseason?

We've already seen them flip Trevor Bauer during a playoff push in a financially motivated deal, and that came on the heels of an offseason where they went to great lengths to shed payroll.

Owner Paul Dolan had the opportunity to ease the fanbase's concerns while talking with Zack Meisel of The Athletic in March. Instead, he offered up the following: "Enjoy him. We control him for three more years. Enjoy him and then we'll see what happens."

Not exactly a ringing endorsement that the dynamic shortstop will retire in an Indians uniform.

Lindor, 25, has become one of the game's brightest young stars since bursting onto the scene in 2015 to finish second in AL Rookie of the Year voting.

Since the start of his rookie season, he's been worth 28.2 WAR. That trails only Mike Trout (44.9), Mookie Betts (38.2), Nolan Arenado (29.7) and Jose Altuve (28.8) among position players during that span.

He's hitting .297/.349/.535 for a 125 OPS+ with 34 doubles, 27 home runs and 20 steals for 4.4 WAR this year, earning his fourth straight All-Star appearance in the process. He's a standout defender and a rare power-speed threat at a premium position.

If he does hit the trade block, the New York Yankees could be the most aggressive suitors. In June, Buster Olney of ESPN (via Aaron Goldhammer) predicted the Bronx is where he would eventually land.

Incumbent shortstop Didi Gregorius is headed for free agency, and the Yankees' deep farm system is loaded with high-ceiling talent. Everyone would have to be on the table in Lindor talks, including top prospect Deivi Garcia, hard-throwing Luis Gil and outfielder Estevan Florial. Controllable slugger Clint Frazier could also make sense.

He would command a steep price, but Lindor could be the piece worth going all-in to acquire this offseason. Pairing him with Gleyber Torres up the middle would give the Yankees the best double-play tandem in baseball.

All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs, unless otherwise noted.