Joel Sherman confirmed a long-rumored New York Mets storyline, shedding light on why Francisco Lindor was never named team captain during his time in New York. While Lindor’s leadership credentials were obvious inside the clubhouse, Sherman pointed to a delicate internal dynamic involving longtime Met Brandon Nimmo.
“Former Met Adam Ottavino said recently on his YouTube channel that Nimmo, at that point the senior Met, did not like speculative talk about making Lindor captain, and I was told that was one reason upper management put the kibosh on any idea of appointing Lindor. And among several reasons for trading Nimmo to Texas was to break up the clubhouse dynamic.” Sherman wrote for the New York Post.
The revelation adds context to a series of quiet but significant decisions made by the Mets behind the scenes, including leadership roles and eventual roster moves. It also reframes Nimmo’s exit to Texas as more than just a baseball decision, suggesting the front office was intent on reshaping the clubhouse hierarchy as much as the roster itself.
Now that Nimmo is gone, will Lindor be captain?
There is nothing official yet. Francisco Lindor maintains his position with the Mets and remains one of the team’s key players, helping lead the team deep into seasons each year. Last season, he contributed 172 hits, 31 home runs, and 86 RBI in 732 at-bats.
Brandon Nimmo during a game at Chase Field on May 05, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona.
A Mets fan (@lefthandmarc) wrote on X: “Do we think like a decent amount of the Mets ‘clubhouse problems’ talk over the past few seasons is because McNeil, Alonso and Nimmo were annoyed that Lindor is like 100 times cooler than them?” This was in reference to the report by Sherman.
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Another fan (@kiaradidwhat) pointed out that the Mets don’t need a captain: “This should put the captain talk to bed for good. If guys in the clubhouse don’t believe he’s the captain, then he shouldn’t be the captain. And besides, it doesn’t matter. We don’t need a captain. We need a World Series.”
