Respect Francisco Lindor!
The shortstop is a centerpiece for 2027 despite a first half to forget in 2026. Plus, the offense doomed the Mets in Atlanta
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets dropped their series in Atlanta, losing 6-3 to the Braves in the series finale (box)
LHP Zac Thornton was solid on the mound but lacked support, allowing three earned runs on seven hits with one walk and two strikeouts over six innings
RHP Dedniel Núñez continues to struggle, being shelled for three earned runs on three hits, while LHP Jefry Yan and RHP Jack Weisenburger both went scoreless in their outings
C Luis Torrens, CF Luis Robert Jr., and 3B Bo Bichette all hit solo home runs, but that was the only damage inflicted by an offense that struck out a total of nine times and finished 0-for-3 with RISP, leaving five runners stranded
RF Carson Benge was the only Met to record more than one hit on the night, going 2-for-4 with a hard-hit single and a double
Injury Updates 🏥
RHP Austin Warren (right forearm strain) tossed a perfect inning with two strikeouts in his latest rehab outing for Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday
Play of the Game 🙃
For the second straight night, the Mets really struggled offensively.
Those struggles were perfectly on display in the top of the ninth. After Bo Bichette hit a solo home run at the start of the inning to provide a glimmer of hope, the Mets put runners on the corners to give themselves a chance of at least making things interesting.
Instead, the lineup went down without so much as a fight. Francisco Alvarez, who struggled all night with situational hitting, popped out in foul ground. Then, Marcus Semien grounded out to leave both runners stranded and end the game, with the offense ultimately to blame for the series loss.
The Just Mets Podcast 🎙️
ICYMI: On the latest edition of the Just Mets Podcast, Rich and Andrew recapped the club’s 5-1 week and dreamed about the Mets having a chance at a late-season run at a Wild Card.
SUBSCRIBE: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Down on the Farm 🌾
1B Eric Wagaman (Triple-A): 3-for-4, 3 R, 2 RBIs, 1 BB, 2 2B, 1 HR
3B Jefferson Rojas (No. 1 prospect, Double-A): 1-for-3, 2 R, 3 RBIs
DH Jacob Reimer (No. 5 prospect, Double-A): 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B
C Daiverson Gutierrez (High-A): 3-for-4, 2 RBIs, 1 2B
DH Aiden Robbins (Single-A): 2-for-5, 3 RBIs, 1 SB
BOX SCORES
Single-A SLU | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR
Today’s Game 🗓
The Mets are off on Thursday. They will return home to open up a six-game homestand, beginning with a three-game series against the Nationals on Friday
Francisco Lindor deserves more respect than he’s gotten as a Met ✍️
Reality was always going to set back in.
While the Mets winning games was fun and nice, it was never really sustainable. The offense is still very much hit-and-miss despite the recent hot streak, while the bullpen was always going to regress in the wake of the selloff.
Still, there were some positives to take from the 6-3 loss to the Braves last night. Carson Benge continues to produce (the offensive struggles were not his fault), Zac Thornton showed plenty of grit on the mound, and Luis Torrens continues to provide plenty of value as the backup catcher.
However, what I really want to talk about today is the comments made by Francisco Lindor to the New York Post on Tuesday. In an exclusive interview, Lindor made abundantly clear that he plans to see out the remaining five years of his contract with the Mets, stating that “when I signed up here, it was to be in the good times and bad times and to win.”
Now, Lindor did also back President of Baseball Operations David Stearns, calling him the “right guy.” I’m not going to go into those empty calories comments because what else is Lindor going to say? He’s hardly going to skewer Stearns publicly.
What I did find most interesting, though, was Lindor’s clear commitment to this franchise, and why all the discourse around all the trade speculation was so baffling.
Personally, not only do I strongly believe that Lindor should be considered a key piece of this team for 2027 and beyond, but I am also shocked that the shortstop doesn’t get the respect he deserves from some sections of the fanbase and media.
Look, I’ll admit from the jump that I’m a huge Lindor fan and maybe I’m a little biased, but I don’t get why people wouldn’t want him to be a Met beyond this season.
He’s a consistent performer at the plate. He’s great defensively. He plays the game with such joy and passion. And he’s exactly the type of role model you want around young players. Plus, Lindor clearly gets what it means to play for the Mets and to play baseball in New York, and he’s always handled himself the right way.
Sure, there have been issues with certain teammates like Jeff McNeil and, more notably, Juan Soto, but I think both situations have been somewhat overblown. Players aren’t going to get along with everyone, and if the Mets had won a championship or two, then I don’t think those clubhouse dynamics even become public, let alone morph into a major talking point.
I’m also aware that Lindor hasn’t exactly had a great year, and his struggles probably only helped to fuel all the trade speculation prior to the Trade Deadline. With that said, we can’t discount the impact the injuries no doubt had on his mechanics at the plate. Lindor is a habitually slow starter anyway, so having to ramp back up again probably didn’t help his rhythm. There is no defending the uncharacteristic errors and sloppy defensive play, but maybe the injuries and the stop-start nature of the season just helped to move Lindor’s entire game out of whack.
In any case, he has settled down as of late and is hitting .333/.438/.593/.1.030 with four walks, five RBIs, and seven runs scored over his last seven games. While some natural progression is expected given that Lindor is 32, I don’t think there’s any tangible evidence to suggest that he can’t be an elite impact player and a driving force for this team next year. If he’s healthy, then I expect Lindor to have a big year in 2027.
Again, I’m a little confused as to why some people would want to trade Lindor in the offseason. He’s not remotely close to falling off the cliff, and who would you replace him with anyway? Is there realistically a better option out there that could replace Lindor at shortstop, especially considering all the other holes on this roster the Mets have to fill?
I’m not so sure.
And I think that plays into the whole lack of respect part of the conversation. Other than that rough start to his career in Queens, Lindor has largely played at an MVP level for the Mets (he’s gotten votes for NL MVP in four of his five seasons with the team prior to this year). He’s come up with countless monster moments in big spots. He played a key role in sparking the turnaround that led to the magical run to the NLCS in 2024.
I mean, what else do you want from the guy?
Okay, sure, the traditional slow starts to every season are beyond frustrating at this point, and they don’t help Lindor or the Mets. There must be something Lindor can do during the offseason to help avoid getting mired into his usual April and May slumps. And I get that Lindor’s arrival ushered in a new era, one that was meant to include World Series rings. But is it Lindor’s fault alone that the Mets have yet to win a championship during his time here? Lindor does have to carry some of the blame, but there have been a slew of other reasons as to why the Mets have consistently fallen short over the past few years.
All in all, I was glad that Lindor came out and spoke so passionately about the direction of the team, and I really hope that he does stick around for the long run. Maybe playing a big role in winning the World Series over the next few years will help in securing the respect he truly does deserve, too.
Around the League 🚩
3B Alex Bregman recorded his first career three-homer and seven RBIs night to lift the red-hot Cubs to a 12-6 win over the Nationals
OF Spencer Jones finished with two doubles and three RBIs to help fuel the Yankees’ 10-5 win over Seattle
The Red Sox couldn’t stop winning, now they can’t stop losing after dropping a fifth straight in a 6-4 loss to the Blue Jays
The Padres are now 15-4 and in possession of the second Wild Card spot after sweeping the Brewers
The Rays beat the A’s 8-4 to go a perfect 9-0 on the road trip - the first unbeaten trip of three or more series in franchise history
RHP Luis Castillo struck out 10 hitters over seven scoreless innings to power the White Sox to a 5-0 shutout win over the Reds
A minority of followers - not necessarily fans - will stoke such nonsense as they search for clicks and validation. Lindor will be remembered as a great player who showed up every day. Comported himself like a professional. In addition, he is a great husband and father. I’m a fan too, Andrew.