Ever since the New York Mets signed Juan Soto, there have been rumors of tension between him and Francisco Lindor, the face of the franchise before Soto's arrival.
The fact that the team has been extremely disappointing for the last two seasons likely has not helped things, but both players have publicly denied any beef. However, that does not mean things were sunshine and rainbows behind the scenes.
According to ESPN's Jorge Castillo, there was lingering tension between the two, but Freddy Peralta, who is now with the Tampa Bay Rays, arranged for the two to sit down and work things out.
"With tension lingering into their second season as teammates, multiple sources told ESPN that Peralta in June arranged for the two stars to vent and work through their disconnect," Castillo wrote on Wednesday. "Since then, sources told ESPN, Lindor and Soto's relationship has been noticeably warmer, with the players interacting more often."
It's not hard to believe this is something Peralta would do. He came to the Mets from the smallest market in baseball, and notably a clubhouse where there is seemingly never any drama. He has always been seen as a great leader in the clubhouse, and getting Lindor and Soto to talk would be very on brand for him.
According to Castillo, Peralta confirmed that the meeting happened, but did not get into details. Lindor spoke briefly on the matter as well.
"It was more of a conversation like we always have with our group of Latinos," Lindor said in Spanish, per Castillo. "But I don't want to comment on the details."
Soto denied that a meeting occurred, but acknowledged that things between him and Lindor are better this year.
Lindor's name has been floating around in trade rumors, but if things between him and Soto are better, it could be more reason for the Mets to keep him around. He has already started to look more like himself. He has an .823 OPS since the start of July.
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