Shortstop Francisco Lindor is not formally the New York Mets’ captain, nor was Lindor actively concerned in recruiting celebrity Juan Soto to depart the New York Yankees for the Amazins in free company.
None of that stopped Lindor from contacting Soto after the All-Star outfielder and the Mets agreed to a 15-year, $765M contract that might exceed $800M this previous weekend.
“I stated, ‘Congratulations, my brother, take pleasure in,’“ Lindor stated throughout a chat with MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo about his trade with Soto. “‘This is improbable for you, for your loved ones. Have a second for your self, after which let’s get to work.’“
Soto responded: “Precisely. Let’s do it.”
Mets proprietor Steve Cohen in the end submitted the most effective monetary provide for Soto’s companies, however multiple stories have recommended that the 26-year-old additionally likes that the Mets really feel “like a household.” Through the 2024 Mets’ summer season resurgence, a lot was made about how the vibes contained in the team’s clubhouse improved from what occurred behind the scenes throughout the 2023 season. Lindor appears to consider Soto will likely be an amazing match for the group.
“He’s a tough employee, somebody that cares about his craft, somebody that cares about his successful, somebody that cares about his household, somebody that cares about his teammates and someone that wishes to proceed to get higher. That’s the Mets,” Lindor stated.. “It sounds just like the Mets. It sounds just like the tradition I wished to construct, be part of. I feel he’s the best man for the job.”
Whereas Cohen and Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns have understandably obtained reward for making the offseason’s greatest splash, they nonetheless have loads of work to do to enhance upon elements of a squad that fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers on this 12 months’s Nationwide League Championship Sequence. For instance, All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso and 2024 crew ace Sean Manaea remained accessible free brokers as of Wednesday afternoon.
“Next 12 months’s crew goes to be utterly totally different,” Lindor acknowledged. “As soon as we get to spring coaching, we’re all going to speak about 2024, after which it’s, ‘Flip the web page, give attention to what you’ve gotten in entrance of you.‘ I do know [Soto] is a generational participant, and he may help us win plenty of video games. Hopefully, he’s a part of the run and a part of the journey of successful a World Sequence.“
Lindor turned 31 final month, so he and Soto ought to be cornerstones of championship-caliber squads for years so long as Cohen and Stearns proceed to get extra proper than flawed relating to personnel selections.
