Mets Superstars Have ‘Hard Conversations’ As Rift Continues

The New York Mets have big roster problems, and they thought they fixed them after last June. They cleaned house after a clubhouse argument between shortstop Francisco Lindor and second baseman Jeff McNeil, with McNeil being shipped off to baseball’s version of Siberia in West Sacramento and more moves being made to fix the clubhouse in the offseason. 

Guess again. According to a report from Will Sammon ofThe Athletic, the rift between Lindor and outfielder Juan Soto is alive and well, with the two superstars having what was described as “hard conversations” taking place between the two. 

Soto and Lindor have played in just 15 games so far this season due to injuries, and apparently there’s still a long way to go in their relationship. According to Sammon, fired Mets manager engaged in what club sources describe as a “full-court press” to help build a stronger relationship. 

There was also some point/counterpoint from the two superstars to erase the word “rift” from the conversation. 

“There were no issues last year — at all,” Soto told The Athletic on Friday. “We didn’t have any beef or anything. Definitely, our relationship is getting better because it takes time.

“When you meet a girl, you don’t start kissing her right away.”

Lindor didn’t quite go with the dating approach, as he chose the path of brotherly love. 

“The more time we spend together, it’s only natural that our relationship continues to grow,” the shortstop said. “We’ve been teammates for two years now. Time has been on our side. I have nothing but respect for him. He’s my brother. He’s somebody I respected from a distance and respect here, inside.”

They’re still talking things out between them, but the Mets are still losing on the field, and both superstars have submitted some pretty shoddy play this season, with Soto also supposedly spending games last year ensconced in a couch near the internal batting cage rather than spend time with his teammates in the dugout.

“Hard conversations happen every day,” Lindor said. “They happen every day; it’s just we talk about different things. But I didn’t think it was a hard conversation. It was just, we talked. We talk every single day, whether it’s hitting or different topics. But we definitely talk because at the end of the day, we are teammates and our job is to win games.”

Lindor also said he’d rather not discuss the specifics of his conversations with Soto because he believes such things should stay in the clubhouse, and he downplayed the idea that an issue ever existed when he was asked about the time Mendoza spent keeping the two superstars on the same page. He described it as a “normal relationship,” but Lindor also didn’t define exactly what that was or what it’s supposed to be. 

Cohen comes off as rather clueless in all this. He recently told the New York Post that ““I don’t see them going anywhere” without addressing whatever’s going on, which leads to automatic questions about what he knows and what he’s choosing to ignore. 

Lindor did mention the contract issue, though: ““We have the two long-term contracts here. We’re going to get to know each other a lot more. I am looking forward to the future and continuing to grow with him.”

All of this might be just a typical kerfuffle if the product on the field didn’t tell a very different story. The Mets play like a team that’s mailing it in, with plenty of mental and physical mistakes happening on a daily basis. Clubouse leadership remains very much an issue, regardless of what Soto and Lindor are saying.