New York Mets owner Steve Cohen insisted recently that neither shortstop Francisco Lindor nor outfielder Juan Soto will be "going anywhere" before the Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline arrives.

During the latest edition of his podcast, New York sports radio legend Mike Francesa suggested that Lindor may not have much of a future with the Mets. 

Mets will try "very hard" to trade Francisco Lindor this summer? 

"I don’t think there’s any question the Mets are going to try very, very hard to trade Lindor," Francesa said, per Sam Neumann of Awful Announcing. 

In December 2025, Francesa claimed that Lindor and Soto "got off on the wrong foot when Lindor did not call [Soto] and welcome him to the team" after Soto signed his 15-year, $765M contract to join the Mets in December 2024. Whispers about the relationship involving the two star players have hovered over the Mets from when the team started suffering a collapse last summer through the ongoing season. 

The last-place Mets began Tuesday with a record of 38-53. 

"Someone who I trust very much told me this started when the only one who did not call [Soto] when he came to the Mets was Lindor," Francesa continued. "And it kind of went from there. They’ve had their ups and downs, but I still hear it’s not good. Now, Cohen addressed that when he did his interview and said, 'Oh, I hear it’s much better now.' That’s not what someone’s telling me. So, unless they’re telling me something wrong, they’re telling me that it’s not any better. That’s never going to be good, and it’s time for Lindor to leave. And I think the Mets have decided that. From what I understand, they are trying to trade him, or will be trying to trade him in the next couple of weeks." 

Can Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor not co-exist with Mets?

On July 3, Will Sammon of The Athletic shared that Lindor and Soto "insist their relationship is fine" amid the Mets' poor season. Soto said that "our relationship is getting better because it takes time," while Lindor noted that Soto is his "brother." 

Lindor agreed to a 10-year contract extension worth up to $341M shortly before the 2021 season got underway. 

"This was Lindor’s team," Francesa said about the Mets. "He was the golden boy. The Cohens loved him. Cohen’s wife loved him. And then they went out and brought in a guy who more than doubled his salary, which hit him right between the eyes…I don’t know how Lindor is. If he’s very sensitive, I don’t know that stuff. What I do know is that he clearly felt this was his team, and then a guy came in who is not only a bigger star, but a much better hitter. Lindor’s a good all-around player. Soto is a great hitter."

It sounds like Francesa is convinced that keeping Soto and Lindor together could ultimately do more harm than good for the Mets. That said, it's unknown what Cohen and Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns could want from a team in return for Lindor's services.