Report: Indians' Lindor falls just shy of 1st-year arbitration record

The Cleveland Indians and superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor avoided arbitration Friday by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $10.55 million, a source told Zack Meisel of The Athletic.

The one-year contract falls $300,000 shy of the first-year arbitration record set by Kris Bryant when he inked a $10.85-million pact with the Chicago Cubs prior to last season.

Lindor, 25, won his second Silver Slugger award in 2018 after posting an .871 OPS with 42 home runs and 25 stolen bases.

Since breaking into the league and placing second in AL Rookie of the Year voting behind Carlos Correa in 2015, Lindor has finished in the top 10 in AL MVP voting for three straight seasons, winning one Gold Glove.

By comparison, Bryant was one year removed from winning the NL MVP and two seasons removed from being unanimously voted the NL Rookie of the Year when the Cubs third baseman signed his record deal.

The previous record before Bryant's pact belonged to Ryan Howard; he signed a $10-million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies prior to the 2008 season after winning NL Rookie of the Year in 2005 and MVP in 2006.