Francisco Lindor’s necklace says plenty about where he stands with the Mets. The delicate gold chain, with its diamond-encrusted New York Mets logo resting just above his heart, is a small but unmistakable sign of loyalty in a sport built on movement.
Players come and go. Lindor looks like he’s staying put.
And after the way the Mets’ last two seasons have gone, that matters.
Even so, there was a different feel around Lindor after the final game of the 2026 season. The Mets closed with a 6-4 loss to the Nationals on Sunday, ending at 74-88 and finishing in last place for the first time since 2003.
That was enough to underline how rough the year had been. But Lindor’s tone, and the mood around the clubhouse, were not the same as they were a year ago.
Lindor also had a milestone to mark. He hit his 300th home run Sunday, becoming the only career shortstop with 300 homers and at least 200 stolen bases, and just the second switch hitter to reach that combination. Per Elias Sports Bureau, he is also only the fifth shortstop to hit 300 home runs while playing at least half his games at the position.
“It’s special,” he said. “I wasn’t trying [to hit one] the last couple of days…Then today, something [in me] said, ‘Do you want to know what?
I’m going to try to hit a home run.’ ”
The number was nice. The bigger takeaway was Lindor’s belief that the Mets are not stuck where they are.
“We have some good pieces,” he said. “Our relationships grew.
Guys are getting used to being in New York. The coaching staff that this was their first time in the big leagues, now it’s going to be year two.
… I feel like we’re propelling ourselves to go forward. I feel like we’re going to be in a much better spot.”
That kind of optimism would have sounded out of place last season. Back then, the Mets stumbled through Game 162 with a bleak, half-hearted push toward a postseason berth they did not really deserve. This time, the pain started earlier, the team absorbed it sooner, and by the end there was a sense they had already worked through the worst of it.
Juan Soto did not sugarcoat the outcome, calling the season “disappointing, embarrassing.” But there were also signs of a group that had started to come together in the middle of the wreckage.
“The guys have gelled together,” manager Andy Green said before the game. “You’re talking about a group that, top to bottom, genuinely likes playing with each other and has had a good time in the second half. … It’s not always necessary to love everybody that you work with to be productive, but it’s also a good thing that’s going on in there right now.”
Others echoed that feeling. A.J.
Ewing called the team a family. Carson Benge called his teammates brothers.
Sean Manaea said, “It definitely feels” like the group has gelled more over the last few months.
“I feel like the clubhouse is great,” Lindor said.” Everybody here is in a really good spot.
We’re all pulling for each other. We care for each other.”
There is no way to dress up a 74-88 season, and nobody inside the room was pretending otherwise. Still, the Mets did show something after the trade deadline fire sale, and that is part of why the outlook is not entirely bleak.
Benge has put himself in the Rookie of the Year conversation, even if he remains a longshot. Nolan McLean could pick up a few votes as well.
Bo Bichette settled in after a rough start, and if he does not exercise his player option, he should matter in this lineup.
Green, meanwhile, has made his mark by reaching players in a difficult year.
“We’re hungry to change the narrative,” Green said, adding that his team wants to “get after it and do something special together.”
He also acknowledged that the sting from this season will not disappear overnight.
“there’s still frustration for the way the season unfolded for everybody in the organization, for the entire fanbase,” he said. “I think that takes a while to flush before you get to the excitement phase.
That can drive you for a while too to ensure that you end up doing everything you possibly can do to get to the excited phase prepared. I’m certain that by the time everybody shows up in spring, I know where the mood is going to be.”
Lindor feels the same way. He said his injuries taught him that “Health matters a lot,” and that this season reinforced another lesson too.
“I learned that you can’t force relationships…
“Relationships,” he added, “grow bigger, even throughout the ups and downs.”
For the Mets, that may be the best sign of all. If the growth holds, the pressure that shaped this season could still turn into something stronger, the way the small diamonds in Lindor’s necklace were formed.
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