A clubhouse rarely unravels all at once. More often, it frays in small ways that go unnoticed until the results on the field start to wobble. That’s what made Mike Puma’s recent report feel like a missing puzzle piece. The New York Mets didn’t just underperform in 2025. They lived through a summer where chemistry started to crack, and the consequences showed up in the standings long before anyone went public with the story.
A Boiling Point That Matched the Standings
The timeline is hard to ignore. According to Puma, tensions inside the Mets clubhouse bubbled over in late June, right around the moment the team’s season went sideways. What looked like a temporary slide turned into something closer to a full personality leak. The Mets finished 83-79, a record that reads like a shrug after months of inconsistent play.
That context matters because losing exposes everything. But in this case, the issues weren’t just about frustration from a rough week. Puma detailed a clash between Francisco Lindor and Jeff McNeil, familiar territory for anyone who remembers their dust-ups from previous seasons. He also noted Lindor’s chilly relationship with Juan Soto, who operates with a quieter, more insulated personality that contrasts sharply with Lindor’s larger presence.
Personality Isn’t the Problem, Repetition Is
The Mets don’t need their stars to be best friends. Baseball clubhouses are filled with different personalities, routines, and rhythms, and most teams function just fine without everyone grabbing dinner together. Lindor himself framed Soto’s personality in simple, accepting terms a few months, describing him as someone who keeps to his family and tight circle, shows up to work, and aims to win. That’s not a flaw. It’s a preference.
Where things get more complicated is with McNeil. This isn’t a one-off disagreement or a minor misunderstanding. The history between him and Lindor is well-known, and that makes any new flare-up feel heavier. Clubhouses can weather tension, but repeated conflict between two prominent players risks creating quiet factions, even if no one intends for that to happen.
When one of those players is widely viewed as a future captain candidate, the equation changes.
The Baseball Fit Matters, But the Dynamic Might Matter More
It would be easy to frame the Mets exploring Jeff McNeil trades as a simple baseball decision. He’s entering his mid-30s, his salary is notable, and New York just added Marcus Semien to take over second base. But McNeil wasn’t a problem on the field. He posted a 111 wRC+, produced 2.1 fWAR in 122 games, hit 12 homers, and held his own defensively at both second base and center field.
A player with that line can still start for a competitive team. Which is why it’s hard not to connect the dots between the clubhouse tension and the Mets’ offseason priorities. If a player is no longer central to your plans and also factors into your internal friction, the path forward becomes clearer than the stat line suggests.
Why Moving McNeil Might Be Best for Everyone
The Mets aren’t facing a crisis, but they are facing a choice. They can hope the personalities settle into place naturally, or they can make a clean break and reset the room before 2026 truly begins. With Lindor entrenched as the franchise’s voice and Soto occupying his own quiet lane, McNeil becomes the movable piece.
And maybe that’s the right outcome. A fresh environment could help him, and the Mets could benefit from removing a tension point before it grows into something larger. Chemistry won’t win the division on its own, but bad chemistry can certainly help lose it.
The Mets have been trying to reshape this roster for months. Now they may need to reshape the room, too.