Mets owner Steve Cohen addresses Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto narratives, trade rumors

A report from late May suggested that the New York Mets could at least consider moving on from star shortstop Francisco Lindor before the Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline, in part because he and star outfielder Juan Soto were allegedly "not speaking" at the time. 

The Mets have since fired manager Carlos Mendoza, and New York began July responsible for a woeful 36-50 record. During the latest edition of "The Show" podcast, Mets owner Steve Cohen addressed the rumors regarding Lindor and Soto that continue to hover over the Mets amid the club's disappointing season. 

Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto "getting along much better"

"I don't see them going anywhere," Cohen said about Lindor and Soto. "And frankly, I think...that was last year's story." 

Cohen added that he has been told and has reason to "believe" that Lindor and Soto are now "getting along much better." 

It was previously reported that Lindor and Soto had a "chilly" relationship after Soto signed his 15-year, $765M contract to join the Mets in December 2024. In February, Soto insisted that he and Lindor had "a great relationship" and would "talk all the time in the game and everything." In April, Lindor referred to Soto as "a great team player." 

Meanwhile, former Mets hitting coach Eric Chavez recently said that Soto "would run from the outfield and go sit in the batting cage on the couch" in between innings during Soto's first season with the team. 

Lindor and the Mets agreed to a 10-year contract extension worth up to $341M shortly before the 2021 season. 

Steve Cohen still "thrilled" to have Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto

Cohen doesn't seem ready to completely blow things up, as he shared during the podcast episode that Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns is going to "live out" the remainder of his contract. Cohen has Stearns signed through 2028.

"I just don't see that as an issue anymore," Cohen continued. "I'm lucky enough to have two high-quality players like that. And with the elimination of whatever issues there were last year, I'm thrilled that they're on the team."

If nothing else, it certainly seems like there was something to the reports that claimed clubhouse issues impacted the Mets throughout their collapse last season. Perhaps those issues had more to do with Stearns dismantling the core of the Mets' roster this past offseason than outsiders realized.