Among baseball's most disappointing teams this season has been the New York Mets.

Entering Sunday, the Mets hold the fourth-worst record in baseball, a reason that the franchise will be a seller ahead of this year's MLB trade deadline. One name that is expected to be traded at some point is shortstop Francisco Lindor. The timeline for a Lindor trade may have been revealed on Sunday.

An offseason trade involving Francisco Lindor seems more likely

While he wasn't included on the recent "untouchables" list of New York players, Lindor is not expected to be traded ahead of the deadline, but rather this winter during the offseason. According to MLB insider Bob Nightengale of USA Today, rival executives expect Lindor to remain with the Mets through the season before being traded in the offseason.

"Rival executives believe that the Mets will trade shortstop Francisco Lindor this winter – not at the trade deadline," Nightengale wrote. "He’s owed $160 million over the next five years after this season, and has a full no-trade clause, complicating a deal by Aug. 3."

Some potential early suitors for Francisco Lindor

Despite his struggles this season, Lindor has consistently been one of the top shortstops in baseball, meaning he'll almost certainly still have a ton of suitors after him. Some teams that first come to mind in needing a shortstop for next season and beyond are the Tampa Bay Rays, San Diego Padres and most intriguingly of all, the Cleveland Guardians.

A return to the place that Lindor spent the first six seasons of his career would be the equivalent of LeBron James returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers after several years away. The city would almost certainly welcome Lindor back with open arms, and he would have the chance to spend the final seasons of his career in the same place it got started.