ORLANDO, Fla. -- New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza firmly refuted recent reports of clubhouse issues last season, including a rift between Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto, calling them a "lie" and "wrong" during a news conference at MLB's winter meetings Monday.
"It's impressive that nobody talked about our clubhouse and in the last two weeks what we hear is that we were basically fighting every day when it's completely contrary to the reality," Mendoza said in Spanish. "It's a professional clubhouse where the guys respected each other, where the guys came to work and to compete day in and day out."
Last month, the New York Post reported that Lindor had strong words for second baseman Jeff McNeil after a late-inning defensive mistake against the Philadelphia Phillies on June 20. The incident, confirmed by sources to ESPN, happened in front of teammates in the clubhouse and spawned tension.
The Mets dropped that game in Philadelphia 10-2 for their seventh straight loss. The skid was the beginning of a 3½-month collapse that plummeted the Mets from the best record in baseball to out of the postseason picture despite fielding the second-most expensive roster in the majors.
"What was the difference? We didn't win baseball games," Mendoza said. "Nobody talked about our clubhouse for the first 2½ months of the season when we had the best record. Nobody talked about the clubhouse. Two and a half months of bad baseball happened, and so now everyone is talking about the problems. It's completely a lie. But it's part of the market. It's part of what we live with in New York."
Mendoza also addressed criticism former Mets reliever Adam Ottavino recently levied at him on his "Baseball & Coffee" podcast. Ottavino, who made 60 relief appearances for the 2024 Mets under Mendoza, decried the Mets' spate of injuries to pitchers, saying Mendoza "has no idea what he's doing when it comes to bullpen guys and how to keep them healthy or even how to care about them at all."
Mets relievers ranked third in innings pitched last season. Relievers Reed Garrett, Danny Young, Max Kranick and Dedniel Nunez were among the pitchers lost for the season because of arm injuries. The workload, Mendoza noted, was the product of Mets starters' inability to pitch deep into games; Mets starters finished 27th in baseball in innings pitched. But Mendoza, who led the Mets to the National League Championship Series as a rookie manager in 2024, insisted he was cautious with reliever usage.
"The facts are right there," Mendoza said. "We were probably one of the teams that protected the bullpen guys better than anybody. And you're talking about we were able to do that with so little length that we were getting from the starters. I don't think this is a Mets issue. I think this is an industry [issue]. This year, we were dealing with a lot of injuries. But like I said, I'm comfortable with the process, too."
Bolstering the bullpen was a priority for the Mets entering the offseason. The club recently addressed the relief corps by signing Devin Williams to a three-year, $51 million deal. Williams will either close games or serve as a setup man should the Mets re-sign Edwin Diaz. Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns on Monday said other needs include a starting pitcher and an outfielder, though he insisted the door has not closed on a potential reunion with first baseman Pete Alonso.
"As I've said all along, he's a great Met," Stearns said. "We'd love to have him back."