Francisco Lindor wasn't made Mets captain for this reason

One thing seemed to stop Francisco Lindor from being named the New York Mets' captain last season.

Jul 12, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) looks on during batting practice before a game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images | Peter Aiken-Imagn Images

One of the biggest storylines heading into the New York Mets' 2025 season was whether star shortstop Francisco Lindor would be named the franchise's fifth official captain, and the first since David Wright.

Lindor was clearly one of the main leaders in the Mets clubhouse and seemed to be adored by everyone, including teammates and other members of the Mets' organization. This storyline reached a point where Lindor addressed the potential of becoming captain on a June 17 episode of The Show: A NY Post baseball podcast by saying, "If [being named captain] does happen, it would be an honor, and something that I wouldn't take for granted. I definitely wouldn't take a title like that lightly."

"And if they decide to name me [captain], it would be an honor. You know, it would be extremely special. It's something that I could tell my kids and my grandkids one day," Lindor added.

Ultimately, Lindor was not named captain in 2025. This frustrated many fans and left some wondering what the hesitation was to award Lindor this seemingly well-deserving honor.

Sep 28, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) throws to first base to retire Miami Marlins shortstop Otto Lopez (not pictured) during the second inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Insider Addresses Why Francisco Lindor Wasn't Named Mets Captain

Former Mets reliever Adam Ottavino offered some fascinating insight on this during a November 19 live stream on his YouTube channel, saying, "Also, I don’t think [Brandon Nimmo] liked any of the talk about Lindor being the [Mets] captain. Just based on the article I read. I don't know any of that on the inside... I think [Nimmo is] a little proud of a player."

Ottavino's stance about Nimmo (who has been with the team since 2015 before being traded to the Texas Rangers last month), potentially not liking the idea of Lindor being named captain, is intriguing, especially in the wake of there being concerns about the Mets' clubhouse chemistry contributing to their downward spiral last season. And giving the clubhouse a fresh coat of paint, so to speak, was reportedly one reason why New York decided to trade Nimmo.

Read more: Mets talking to Padres about potential trades for these players

New York Post MLB insider Joel Sherman added another layer to this narrative in a December 13 article by writing, "I was told that [Nimmo not liking the prospect of Lindor being named captain] was one reason upper management put the kibosh on any idea of appointing Lindor," which was excerpted in an X post from @metsnewsletter.

Joel Sherman confirmed what we suspected: the Mets never named Francisco Lindor captain because it would have hurt Brandon Nimmo's feelings.https://t.co/t6Uj81GKz1 pic.twitter.com/NrUvFE496P

— The Mets Newsletter (@metsnewsletter) December 13, 2025

With Nimmo no longer on the team, perhaps this opens the door for Lindor to be named captain before the 2026 season. Then again, the Mets might prefer he iron out his relationship with Juan Soto before they award him that distinction.

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