Francisco Lindor isn’t entertaining the exit talk.
The Mets shortstop said Tuesday that he expects to remain in Queens through the rest of his contract, even as rumors swirled around him before the Aug. 3 trade deadline and again this offseason. Lindor signed a 10-year, $341 million extension that started in 2022, and he said his intention is to see it through.
"The plan is to be here for my contract," Lindor told Mike Puma of the New York Post on Tuesday. "When I signed up here, it was to be in the good times and bad times and to win."
That message matters because Lindor is still owed $185 million, and the speculation around his future has only grown as the Mets have stumbled through a disappointing season. He also holds a full no-trade clause, giving him control over where he goes - and, at least for now, he’s making it clear he’s not going anywhere.
Lindor backed that up with faith in the people running the club, pointing to president of baseball operations David Stearns and owner Steve Cohen as reasons he believes New York can get back on track.
"We have the right guys," Lindor added. "Stearns is the right guy.
That is No. 1.
We have one of the best owners in sports history, because (Steve Cohen) is going to go always with the energy that needs to be put into the team. When you are in a big market, there is not such a thing as rebuilding.
There is a little bit of transition, that is it. You can't afford to rebuild in big markets, so I think we are working toward the right place.
We have not taken a step backwards."
The Mets already made a major change when they fired manager Carlos Mendoza in late June. They also entered the year with big expectations after bringing in Bo Bichette, Freddy Peralta, Luis Robert Jr., Devin Williams, Marcus Semien, and Luke Weaver. But the season has gone sideways, and New York sent Peralta and Weaver out in a deadline sell-off.
At 53-68, the Mets are sitting last in the NL East, and they haven’t finished in that spot since 2003.
In Other News...
Mets Suddenly Have A Francisco Lindor Question Fans Cant Ignore
The trade deadline brought the Mets a wave of high-end farm talent, and the part that stands out most is how much of it lives on the infield. Several of the organizations newest prospects are shortstop-capable, giving the system a different kind of depth than it had a few weeks ago and adding a fresh layer to the way the front office can think about the roster beyond this season.
That kind of inventory naturally invites bigger questions, especially with Francisco Lindor still anchoring the position in Queens. The new group includes players viewed as close enough to matter in the not-too-distant future, which is why the conversation has already started to drift toward what the Mets might do if they ever decide to reshape the left side of the infield. For now, it is only speculation, but it is the sort of speculation that becomes harder to ignore once a team starts collecting shortstops this aggressively. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Prospects Suddenly Have A New Problem In The Farm System
The Mets farm system looks a little different after the organization brought in more talent, and the ripple effect is already showing up in prospect conversations. The names at the top are changing fast, with Jefferson Rojas now drawing attention as the systems most promising player while Jacob Reimer works to hold his place in that discussion. Even beyond that, Billy Amick and Aidan Smith are forcing a fresh look at where the depth really stands.
For a system that has spent plenty of time trying to sort out its true long-term hitters, this kind of movement matters. Amick is emerging as a more intriguing option than Ryan Clifford, and Smith is being measured against Nick Morabito as the Mets try to separate real upside from familiar names. The hard part for the front office is that the answers are arriving quickly, but not all at once, which leaves the ranking of this group very much in flux. [Read more 🡒]
Gabriel Arias Just Raised The Stakes For A Mets Infielder
The Mets added another layer to their infield picture by claiming Gabriel Arias off waivers from the Guardians, a move that speaks as much to roster planning as it does to the present-day bench. Arias brings defensive versatility, and with New York still sorting through injuries and other roster changes, he now gets a real chance to compete for a reserve infielder job.
For a club trying to balance short-term coverage with longer-term flexibility, this is the kind of claim that can quietly ripple through the rest of the roster. Arias arrival gives the Mets another option to evaluate, and it also hints that the final shape of the infield may not be settled anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]