A New York Mets team that has been one of the biggest disappointments of the 2026 season fell to 22-33 on Tuesday night and reportedly could become a seller as soon as June.
Meanwhile, star shortstop Francisco Lindor has been out of the lineup since he suffered a calf injury on April 22. During the latest edition of “The Show” podcast, MLB insider Jon Heyman of the New York Post suggested that Lindor’s lack of a strong relationship with outfielder Juan Soto could result in team president of baseball operations David Stearns making a surprising move.
Could Mets explore trading Francisco Lindor sooner rather than later?
“I’m not gonna be shocked if Lindor is out there,” Heyman said about a possible trade involving the 32-year-old, per AJ Stone of Heavy. “I like the guy. I think he’s on his way to the Hall of Fame. There’s something wrong with the mix, I think. We’ve said this on this show many times. It’s probably been underreported in the press. Not knocking our competitors, it’s underreported everywhere, but I think they’ve got to figure out how Lindor and Soto can become [friendly]. They’re not arch-enemies, they’re not at each other’s throats. Soto has moved across the room, but they’re not speaking as far as I can tell. …I say get them together in a room, and figure it out. Or investigate, potentially a trade of Lindor.”
Lindor and the Mets agreed to a 10-year contract extension worth up to $341M in the spring of 2021. While he became a fan-favorite en route to helping the club make a run to the 2024 National League Championship Series, reports surfaced in late 2025 detailing alleged clubhouse issues that impacted the team throughout its collapse last season.
One story claimed that Lindor and Soto had a “chilly” relationship after the latter signed his 15-year, $765M contract to join the Mets in December 2024. Heyman’s update indicates that the two players still aren’t all that chummy this spring.
MLB insider would “bet” that Mets will make this Francisco Lindor decision
For what it’s worth, fellow MLB insider Joel Sherman predicted during the podcast that Lindor will stay with the Mets for the foreseeable future.
“I did hear when Lindor got hurt,” Sherman said, “Soto went to the trainer’s room to check on him. But I agree. What I would say, Jon, is there’s just not a lot of camaraderie, warmth in it, and it’s your two star players. And I know how aggregation works now, Jon, so I’m almost hesitant to say it. Because I know nothing, and if I were a betting man, I’d bet that neither player is traded.”
As Bill Ladson of the MLB website recently shared, it is unknown when Lindor will begin his rehab assignment. Whenever he does, he may once again find himself fielding questions about whether or not he and Soto can coexist in the same clubhouse moving forward.
