Francisco Lindor, 2045 Hall of Fame inductee?

It’s mid-January, so that means baseball writing is going to get pretty weird. In ESPN SweetSpot’s case, that means predicting every single Hall of Fame inductee through 2045.

Indians news

Predicting every Hall of Fame class through 2045 | ESPN
Unless I missed someone, Francisco Lindor is the only active Indians player to be inducted in this scenario, though Terry Francona gets in as a manager in 2027. Kenny Lofton makes it in, as well.

Tito lauds front office for landing Edwin | MLB
Francona, like every Indians fan with a pulse, loves the Indians going after Edwin Encarnacion.

Controversy keeps Ramirez out of Hall in first attempt | Burning River Baseball
A very good point brought up by Joe Coblitz:

Had Ramirez retired after 2008, he probably would have been a first ballot Hall of Famer three years ago, but instead, he lingered on, playing in just under 200 games over the next three seasons thanks to two separate suspensions for PEDs.

I had a luncheon with Tom Hamilton and I thought I'd share a few interesting tidbits | Reddit
Reddit user OhHIghO claims to have had a luncheon with Tom Hamilton through his work. There’s no proof provided, so take it for what you will. But it seems like a lot to fake for nothing. Assuming it’s real, there are a lot of interest nuggets from Hamilton, especially his take on Mike Napoli’s clubhouse leadership.

Around the league

• You didn’t really think Mark Trumbo would go somewhere other than Baltimore, did you?
• Here’s a weird scouting report on Jeff Bagwell’s soft, fleshy body.
• The Brewers want you to know they still exist.