The D Word

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Both Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor spoke to the media for the first time in 2026 yesterday. Each and every one of their answers was dissected and analyzed by sickos like myself who are still trying to figure out what happened last season. 

Joel Sherman asked Soto what his relationship with Lindor was like. "I think it's a great relationship. We talk all the time in the game and everything. We help each other." It was one of the shorter answers the artist formerly known as Childish Bambino gave. Lindor’s answer to a question about clubhouse chemistry was more enlightening about his specific relationship with Soto. "Are we all best friends?” Lindor asked. “That's not how it works in the clubhouse. But we are friends...We love each other and want the best for each other." That all tracks. Soto and Lindor aren’t besties, and they probably never will be. But they respect one another, because they both want to win and kick ass on the baseball diamond. That being said, I wonder if David Stearns would have shipped out Lindor if he wasn’t as good as he actually is. 

In what turned out to be the final question Soto heard at his presser, a reporter brought up the fact that Carlos Mendoza described the clubhouse in 2025 as “too corporate” before asking Soto what his perception of it was. 

Soto: That's in the past. We forget about it. We're focused on 2026.

Reporter: For 2026, how do you prevent that from happening?

Soto: Have fun. Forget about all the drama and everything. Focus on the game and win some ballgames.

Forget about all the drama. Soto could have used a lot of different words there. He could have easily just parroted the questioner and his manager and said “forget about all the corporate-like stuff.” But no, he said “drama.” 

So, I’m going to break the fourth wall here. I could get, well, dramatic, and say Soto inadvertently revealed there was sturm und drang and go off from there into hot take land. Or I can write what I continue to feel after reading and hearing all there is to read and hear about the 2025 Mets clubhouse. I think I’ll do the latter. 

I believe what Soto meant by “the drama and everything” was “the failure of it all”, the whatever that did or did not happen behind the scenes which led to the unacceptable conclusion of missing the playoffs. There was legitimate drama playing between Lindor and Brandon Nimmo over who was the true captain of the team, but I don’t think it impacted the squad at all. Neither Lindor or Nimmo seem like people that would allow themselves to be distractions. I believe what Mendoza was getting at with the “corporate” designation is the fact that there wasn’t much of an edge to the Mets in ‘25, and as the losses piled up, people got tight (or as Keith Hernandez would say, people got Archie Bell & the Drells.) They needed a JD Martinez type to say “fuck it, we suck, let’s go out there and have fun” like in May of 2024, and a pop star like Jose Iglesias, and a healthy Jesse Winker. But mostly pitchers that can last more than three innings. Winning is the best deodorant there is. 

Both Lindor and Soto said the 2026 Mets are a better team than last year’s iteration. Lindor went into detail as to why he felt that way, saying, “Position by position, it’s definitely better. I don’t know the budget if we’re up or equal or below where we were last year. But you have a guy like Clay Holmes starting for a second year, he’s going to be good. You have Nolan McLean who is going to be definitely better. You have Freddy, [Peterson], Manaea, Senga being healthy this whole year. You go through the bullpen with those good guys and then you go through the infield and outfield. I feel like we have what it takes. They addressed the defense, they addressed the base running, they addressed the hitting, they addressed the pitching." That’s all well and good, but who the hell knows if the rotation is going to be healthy the whole year? 

Lindor said he’s “very optimistic” he’ll be back for Opening Day after having his left hamate bone removed. While I don’t doubt that he’ll do everything in his power to be in the starting lineup on March 26th, I’m skeptical he’ll be playing at his high standard for awhile. 

Lindor confirmed Bad Bunny offered to pay for his WBC insurance. The shortstop said that the World Baseball Classic rejected the offer however. It’s a moot point anyway, considering Lindor’s hamate situation.

Soto, Luis Robert Jr., Brett Baty, and Tyrone Taylor all reported for duty at Port St. Lucie on Sunday. Mendoza said everyone is now in camp.

MJ Melendez played some center field in winter ball, so he might see some time there to back up Robert Jr., Taylor, and possibly Carson Benge.

The Mets claimed catcher Ben Rortvedt off waivers from the Dodgers.  Dedniel Nuñez was transferred to the 60-day injured list to make room. That gives the Mets 72 players in camp, and a second former Dodger catcher on their roster (Austin Barnes was signed a few weeks ago.) Rortvedt stunk in limited time with the Rays last season before joining the Dodgers in time for the playoffs, where he went 3 for 7 with a double before Will Smith took back the reins for the rest of the way.

Steve Cohen had his yearly check-in with Howie Rose. This time around he didn’t challenge Met fans to show up to the ballpark. Of note, he said they were never going to give Pete Alonso five years, he was “perplexed” over the Edwin Díaz negotiations, he thought David Stearns was “clever” in signing Devin Williams as a hedge, and Bo Bichette is a better fit than Kyle Tucker would have been.

Sean Manaea told David Lennon of Newsday he’s probably not going to use the ABS challenge system. “I think as pitchers, we’re worried about too many other things — like executing the pitch, we’re moving [on the mound], so it’s kind of hard to judge,” the southpaw explained. “And, honestly, our catchers are great, so I trust their opinion way more. I tried it in the minor leagues and I didn’t even like it.” That’s an understandable take. The catcher is far more likely to know if a pitch was a ball or strike than the pitcher. Or maybe Manaea is just trying to copy Chris Sale again.

Speaking of which, Manaea also spoke to the New York Post, where he said his 2025 “was just a huge personal disappointment. Really no excuse for it. It just sucked.” He’s going to be “less extreme” in his low arm angle to left-handed hitters this season, because he went “too far” with it and he didn’t feel good going as low as he did. 

Francisco Alvarez is in the BSOHL. He lost 8-10 pounds dropping arepas from his diet. 

Carson Benge held a Reddit AMA. 

Craig Kimbrel said his back issues were so bad in 2024 that he couldn’t bend down and tie his shoes. 

Will Sammon talked to new Mets pitching coach Justin Willard about each member of the starting rotation.

Carlos Mendoza more or less said Devin Williams is the closer. When he was pressed on it, the skipper explained that he might use Williams in the eighth inning of a close game if the top of the other team’s lineup is coming to bat, so he can’t flat out call him the “closer.” 

Mendy also said anybody on the team can challenge pitches, but they’re going to keep track of who was right and who was wrong this spring.

Per Abbey Mastracco, Luke Weaver is trying to give his cutter more break this spring, and Devin Williams planning to throw a cutter and a gyro slider more often. Meanwhile, Jonah Tong is working to develop his offspeed pitches, and Christian Scott will continue to refine his slider so he won’t be so susceptible to left-handed batters.

Weaver said he’s trying not to be too funny too soon because then he’ll set the bar too high. Apparently, the late-inning reliever/jokester doesn’t want to run out of jokes in the bullpen halfway through the season.

After some false starts, the Mets will finally host a groundbreaking ceremony at Clover Park to celebrate the start of construction on a new 55,000 square foot Player Development Complex this Wednesday at 11am ET.

Jackson Cluff kinda confirmed he was known as the “Super Soaker” at BYU.

The Mets announced a bunch of 1986 themed giveaways this season:

Old chum Griffin Canning signed up with the Padres. Starling Marte and Winker are the two 2025 Mets that haven’t signed with anybody yet for 2026.

Meanwhile in Philly, Bryce Harper reacted unfavorably to his own President of Baseball Opertions Dave Dombrowski calling him “not elite”.

On this day in 2012, Gary Carter passed away due to brain cancer at the too young age of 57.