Mets' Francisco Lindor reacts to Steve Cohen 'never' having a team captain

New York Mets owner Steve Cohen left pockets of fans upset and/or scratching their heads when he said that the Mets "will never" name an official team captain under his watch. 

For years, star shortstop Francisco Lindor had been viewed by Mets supporters and other outsiders as the club's unofficial captain and as its captain-in-waiting. On Thursday morning, Lindor was asked about learning that he seemingly will never rock a figurative or literal "C" while playing for the Amazins.

Francisco Lindor ready to stop talking about being a captain after Steve Cohen comments

"I respect it," Lindor said of Cohen's declaration, per Anthony DiComo of the MLB website. "This is definitely a Steve, front-office type decision. I respect it. At the end of the day…being named captain or not, I’m still going to act the same. This is not something that’s going to make me somebody different. So I respect it. I’m glad he put everything to bed, so that way, we can stop talking about this. And move on."

Last summer, a since-deleted MLB.com video teased that Lindor would soon be named the Mets' first team captain since David Wright retired after the 2018 season. It now appears such a development was never in the works. 

Currently, New York Yankees star Aaron Judge and Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals are the only official and recognized team captains in the league this winter. During his comments on Monday, Cohen pointed out that "having a captain in baseball doesn't happen often." 

Has Francisco Lindor spoken with Steve Cohen about not being named captain? 

On Thursday, Lindor revealed that he has not spoken with Cohen about the owner's remarks regarding the Mets' lack of a recognized captain. 

"It’s not where they want to go," Lindor explained. "I respect it, I understand it, and I’m on board. It’s just one of those where it’s like, I’m going to focus on baseball. I feel like we’ve got leaders [without] captains and all that stuff. The clubhouse is the clubhouse. Let’s just play baseball, and let’s focus on winning."

Last offseason, former Mets captain and longtime closer John Franco publicly campaigned for Lindor to follow in his and Wright's footsteps. Speculation about why Lindor won't be handed that honor may continue to hover over the Mets through the summer despite his desire to "put everything to bed."