Soto and Lindor move past locker room talks: That’s all in the past now

The claims about problems inside the New York Mets locker room were softened by Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor in interviews today, as they put aside the lingering narrative from late last season.

“We always have each other’s backs,” Lindor said after coming back from surgery, “Are we all best friends? That’s not how a locker room works. But we are friends, good teammates who care for one another and want the best for each other.”

“There are many new faces here, and they all seem willing to work hard and do whatever it takes to win. Ultimately, what matters is winning and everyone pushing in the same direction.”

Soto was more concise, simply expressing a desire to move on from 2025.

“That’s all behind us,” Soto said about the so-called locker room issues, “We’ve forgotten about it and are now focused on the 2026 season.”

Although no one openly accused last year’s locker room of having problems, some lamented the lack of team camaraderie in 2024. Earlier this month on the Michael Kay Show, manager Carlos Mendoza described it more as a “professional locker room,” adding, “It’s not that they don’t like each other—they respect one another and get along well.”

After falling just two wins short of the World Series in 2024, the Mets finished last year with an 83-79 record, missing the playoffs on the final day of the season.

During this time, the Mets’ leadership changed: Soto joined, while Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, and Starling Marte departed. Lindor has long been seen as the Mets’ de facto captain, although last year the New York Post quoted Soto saying Marte was a captain-like figure.

When directly asked about his relationship with Lindor on Sunday, Soto replied, “I think the relationship is good. We communicate a lot during games and help each other.”

Compared to lengthy discussions on other topics, this answer was much shorter but reflected Soto’s wish to “have fun, leave the drama behind, focus on playing, and win some games.” Both he and Lindor have contracts through 2031, giving them five more years to build chemistry.

“I feel like I can always do more,” Lindor said. “In some ways, it has to happen naturally. But ultimately, I need to be a better player, a better teammate, and better help the team. The goal is to win, and we haven’t done that yet. I haven’t done that here. So the key is to improve. Honestly, my life motto is to try to be the best version of myself every day. What happens next? We’ll see. But I have to do whatever it takes to win.”