Report: Padres interested in Indians' Lindor

Add the San Diego Padres to a growing list of teams interested in acquiring Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor.

The Padres are eyeing the 26-year-old All-Star, sources told The Athletic's Dennis Lin. However, the likelihood of a trade remains unclear.

Since missing out on acquiring Mookie Betts from the Boston Red Sox, the Padres haven't given up hope of making a significant upgrade to their roster, according to Lin. This led them to Lindor, who's been a hot trade topic throughout most of the winter.

Lindor is set to become a free agent following the 2021 season and could net Cleveland quite a haul if he were traded. The Padres own one of the deepest farm systems in baseball.

Budding superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. could be moved to center field in order to accommodate Lindor, Lin notes.

Since arriving in the big leagues in 2015, Lindor has been one of the game's finest players, amassing a .288/.347/.493 slash line with 130 home runs, 384 RBIs, and 93 steals. He's also won two Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers.

The Puerto Rican infielder recently expressed a desire to stay in Cleveland long term, but also mentioned the Indians hadn't offered him "the right thing."

However, Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti recently said the organization has made "meaningful efforts" to sign Lindor to a long-term deal.