Mets' Francisco Lindor addresses alleged rift with Rangers' Brandon Nimmo

Throughout this past offseason, numerous stories touched upon the alleged clubhouse problems that impacted the New York Mets as they suffered an epic collapse during the 2025 campaign. 

One of those stories hinted that issues between star shortstop Francisco Lindor and outfielder/homegrown talent Brandon Nimmo played a role in Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns trading Nimmo to the Texas Rangers for second baseman Marcus Semien this past fall. 

During a recent chat with MLB insider Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Lindor attempted to put the Nimmo-related rumors to bed. 

Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo are "brothers" despite rumors

"Nimmo and I are brothers," Lindor insisted. "I love him. I love him. He’s a great guy. He’s missed around here — good teammate, good person, good family man." 

Nimmo and Lindor picked up tabs for team dinners during the Mets' 2024 season turnaround, and both were once viewed as potential future captains for the club. However, New York sports radio legend Mike Francesa raised eyebrows and generated headlines when he reported in December 2025 that "the Nimmo-Lindor thing...was political" and was related to President Donald Trump.

Back in February, Nimmo said that he felt Lindor "was nothing but kind, nothing but an amazing teammate" and "an amazing leader." 

Jon Heyman adds strong message about Francisco Lindor-Brandon Nimmo rumors

"One person in the know called the rumor 'bogus,'" Heyman added about Francesa's claim. "...The B.S. story was supposed to be a split over politics, but multiple people say they never heard either player talk politics around the team." 

Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that Lindor and Nimmo didn't have some kind of falling out away from Citi Field over political differences. As Francesa said before Christmas 2025, "crazier things have happened" among teammates. 

Even though the 2026 season is over a week old, some continue to wonder why Stearns chose to dismantle the core of the Mets' roster following the 2025 campaign. His decisions have understandably come into question among Mets fans after the club entered Friday with a record of 3-4. 

The Mets next play at the San Francisco Giants (3-4) on Friday evening.