Dear bikeforums community,

I recently ordered a Surly Cross Check frame on ebay that I wanted to build up as a commuter and light touring bike.
However, when I started, I realized, that the rear triangle is bent inwards. This most likely happened during shipping (FedEx ground) when something heavy was put on top of the box and the rear triangle was pushed together.
Unfortunately there was no spacer between the rear dropouts to prevent this from happening.
Normally, the Cross Check should have a 132 mm rear spacing. Now the spacing is 90 mm.

Can this frame be saved?
The ebay seller is asking if I can't just bend it back since it's a steel frame.
But I am afraid that it will either brake in the process or even if it doesn't, become unsafe to ride. If it was just 1 cm, I wouldn't hesitate to bend it back, but the rear dropouts are now 4 cm closer together than they should be.
I also think that it will be difficult/impossible to achieve a proper allignment of the rear dropouts if I bend it back.

Thank you for your help!