The New York Mets addressed the elephant in the corner of the room yesterday as they discussed the narrative that the Mets had a divided clubhouse the helped blow up the second half of the teams’s season last year.
The results weren’t all that impressive. Shortstop Francisco Lindor, who’s currently on the shelf after undergoing surgery for a broken hamate bone, acknowledged that the Mets clubhouse wasn't exactly a chummy place where players wanted to hang out and chill.
“We’ve always pulled for each other,” Lindor said in a piece written by Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. “We’ve always wanted what’s best for each other. Are we all best friends? That’s not how it works in the clubhouse. But we are friends. We’re good teammates. We care for each other. We love each other, and we want the best for each other.
“We have a lot of new faces here, guys that seem like they’re going to work hard and they’re going to do whatever it takes to win. Ultimately, that’s what it comes down to -- it’s all about winning and everybody pulling in the same direction.”
That didn’t address incidents like the alleged shouting match between Lindor and former second baseman Jeff McNeil after a botched defensive play back in June, but at least it’s somewhat honest.
Lindor supposedly isn’t that friendly with outfielder Juan Soto, and Soto’s comments about that were as generic as it gets.
“That’s in the past,” Soto said of any lingering clubhouse issues. “We forget about it. We focus on 2026.”
We still don’t know what “that” is, which makes Soto’s comments somewhat disappointing. There should be some level of leadership or at least accountability that comes with the money the Mets are paying Soto, but apparently that's not part of the package with the outfielder, who calls himself a "grinder" who just wants to come to work and win games.
Meanwhile, manager Carlos Mendoza didn’t exactly push back on the lack of camaraderie last season. Mendoza clearly doesn’t buy into the whole “band of brothers” concept that happens on a lot of good teams, saying the mets of more of a “corporate clubhouse” when he appeared on “The Michael Kay” Show earlier this month.
“Not that guys didn’t like each other -- they respected each other, they got along,” Mendoza added.
This isn’t what the fan base wants to hear. Former Mets stars like first baseman and outfielder Brandon Nimmo generated excitement by building a bond between themselves, teammates and fans, and former closer Edwin Diaz added a flamboyant, celebratory element to the team’s play. Right now, it doesn’t feel like anyone is going to step into the leadership void that's now apparent with those players gone.
“The way I feel is there’s always more I can do,” Lindor said. “Yeah, it has to happen organically, in a way. But at the end of the day, I’ve just got to be a better player, a better teammate, and better overall to help this team. The goal is winning, and we haven’t done that. I haven’t done that here. So it comes down to being better.
“And honestly, quite frankly, that’s kind of how I live my life -- just trying to be the best version of myself day in and day out. What am I going to do next? Just let it happen. But I’ve got to do whatever it takes to win.”