Last season, a wild rumor started circulating that politics, specifically views on Donald Trump, had caused a rift between two prominent Mets stars. Francisco Lindor has drawn a firm line under the bizarre narrative. He steered clear of any political drama and addressed the rumored rift by showing nothing but love for his former teammate.

“He’s a great guy. He’s missed around here — good teammate, good person, good family man,” Lindor told the New York Post, addressing the clash with his former teammate.

New York sports radio legend Mike Francesca floated the idea of an alleged friction between Lindor and Brandon Nimmo in December 2025. And the reason behind the rift? Donald Trump. 

“One side liked Trump, one side didn’t like Trump,” Francesca said without clarifying any further. Although there was no solid evidence, Nimmo had already left New York for the Rangers on November 23. The outfielder, who was 32 at the time, recorded a career high of 25 HRs in 2025. And he was traded for Marcus Semien, 35, hitting only 15 homers in the same season. 

The circumstances did not make it easier to shake off the rumor. But Lindor has now cleared the air by showing respect and positive emotions for the former comrade. 

“Nimmo and I are brothers. I love him. I love him,” he said. 

But he is not alone, as Jon Heyman from the New York Post spent some time with several Mets players to get to the bottom of it. And he was convinced that the entire rumor about President Donald Trump splitting the Mets clubhouse was “a bunch of bunk.”

Heyman had talked to multiple players from the New York roster and found no evidence of a possible rift between Lindor and Nimmo. However, he admitted that there were some issues inside the clubhouse last season. 

This has helped the Mets to debunk the rumor and to establish that the relationship between the two former teammates is still intact. However, the franchise hasn’t escaped scrutiny yet. In fact, they have opened the doors for broader narratives. 

Lindor is trying to move the Mets beyond the ‘dysfunctional’ tag

The Mets clubhouse was termed ‘dysfunctional’ by the same New York Post that just helped them clear the air around the rumor. During the first half of 2025, Francisco Lindor and the team registered a 45-24 win-loss rate. But they saw an on-field collapse later that saw only 38 wins against 55 defeats. 

As a result, the Mets couldn’t qualify for the playoffs. They were the only ones failing to register a comeback in the ninth inning after trailing in the 8th in the entire 2025 season. The Mets were 0-70 in games where they trailed after eight innings.

This was a stark contrast from the previous season, where the Mets were exclusively famous for late-innings heroics with nine 9th-inning comebacks. 

In addition to performance issues, the clubhouse was also having some internal issues. Reports of rifts between Lindor and Jeff McNeil, as well as between Lindor and Juan Soto, became public. McNeil is currently wearing the Athletics’ jersey, and Soto, together with Lindor, has downplayed the rumors of any clash. 

However, New York hasn’t really seen a dramatic performance improvement. Although the 11th-inning win against the Pirates on March 29 did offer some relief for manager Carlos Mendoza, it isn’t much. The Mets have registered four losses after seven games this season. 

They won the series against Pittsburgh 2-1, but couldn’t do the same with the St. Louis Cardinals. Now they have lost the first game to the Giants. And Francisco Lindor himself hasn’t been in his best shape. He recently missed an easy double play and suffered a miscue against the Cardinals that cost them not just in the game but the series as well. 

His strong defense of Nimmo shows leadership characteristics. That is the exact tone-setting the Mets need right now. Lindor is trying to reset the narrative around the clubhouse and help the team rise above yesteryear’s setbacks. The challenge, now, is aligning the on-field results with his off-field messaging.