One day, Francisco Lindor is the soul of the team, the player who talks to everyone before and after every game and the next, a post tries to make him the villain of the 2025 season, sometimes that’s the way the world of baseball is.
Recently, a report from the New York Post raised alarms in Queens by pointing to Francisco Lindor as the cause of internal tensions in the clubhouse. However, voices close to the team claim that the story is exaggerated and that the intention seems merely sensationalist.
Ryan Finkelstein defends Francisco Lindor
A report in the New York Post suggested friction with Jeff McNeil and a “cold” understanding with Juan Soto. For many fans, the headline was enough to raise doubts. But for Ryan Finkelstein, host of the Locked on Mets podcast, the story just didn’t add up:
The New York Post just published an article that paints Francisco Lindor as a bad team leader. I don’t buy it.
Is there a bad relationship between Lindor and Juan Soto?
It was hinted that the alleged bad relationship between Lindor and Juan Soto helped to sink the season. But that argument seems forced, at least for Ryan Finkelstein and many fans. The alleged lack of chemistry between two stars does not affect or cause injuries, offensive slumps or pitching collapse, some of the more weighty reasons to explain the decline of the Mets in the season.
Attributing an entire team’s collapse to cold conversations between two players is not only reductive, it also ignores real factors such as inconsistencies in the rotation, repeated injuries and a bullpen that never found stability.
Francisco Lindor and Jeff McNeil conflict revived
The article also revived the tension between Lindor and Jeff McNeil, mentioning an altercation following a defensive error during a seven-game losing streak on June 20. However, an argument between two teammates and a clubhouse crisis are different things.
Additionally, McNeil is entering the final year of his contract, and with teams interested in him, the narrative of “internal drama” could be an easy resource to justify a possible move.
Crisis at Mets?
The 2025 season represented a hard fall, even more so for a team whose expectations are always to reach the World Series. That is why the New York team now faces a crucial offseason where the most important mission is to keep its stars.
In this regard, Ryan Finkelstein believes that at least one of the strong moves could be closed, and even projects a possible $150 million five-year contract for Pete Alonso, a figure in line with the market after the agreement of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Meanwhile, with Dylan Cease heading to Toronto, the Mets have already lost a key target to bolster the rotation.
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