While there have been many questions about the relationship between the Mets’ two biggest stars, they both insist they’re in a good place.
After last year’s months-long collapse, noti.group’s Mike Puma reported that Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor had a chilly relationship. And earlier this week on “The Show” podcast with Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman, Mets owner Steve Cohen confirmed the reporting but said that was in the rearview.
Soto and Lindor, both speaking to The Athletic on Friday, said their relationship is getting better.
“There were no issues last year — at all,” Soto told The Athletic. “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 added that the relationship between the two will “continue to grow.”
“I have nothing but respect for him. He’s my brother,” Lindor said. “He’s somebody I respected from a distance and respect here, inside.”
The Athletic reported Carlos Mendoza worked to get the two under better terms before his firing, and Lindor and Soto recently had “hard conversations,” though the two players said they did not agree with calling the discussions “hard.”
Soto joined the Mets before last season with plenty of fanfare — and money — on a 15-year, $765 million contract. Fighting through a slower start by his standards, Soto finished 2025 with 43 homers, an MLB-leading 127 walks and a .921 OPS as he finished third in the National League MVP race.
But even with that and Lindor’s third 30-homer, 30-stolen-base season, the Mets, who had an MLB-best 45-24 record in mid-June, crumbled the rest of the way and missed the playoffs by virtue of a tiebreaker with the Reds.
The Mets have not fared better this year with a 36-52 record after Friday’s 5-3 loss to the Braves. Since taking over as interim skipper on June 26, Andy Green now has a 2-6 record.
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Cohen, in his candid conversation with The Post earlier this week, believed any frostiness between Soto and Lindor is a thing of the past.
“Frankly, I think that’s a story that was last year’s story,” Cohen said in an exclusive interview. “I am told and believe strongly that these guys are getting along much better. And so, I just don’t see that as an issue anymore.”
Cohen added that given the length of the two contracts between the stars (Lindor with the Mets through 2031 and Soto through 2039), he does not believe either player will be playing outside of Queens anytime soon.
“I don’t see them going anywhere,” Cohen said.
“I’m lucky enough to have two high-quality players like that and with the elimination of whatever issues there were last year, I’m thrilled that they’re on the team.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
