Francisco Lindor (maybe) made huge promise to Jeff McNeil for winning batting title

Francisco Lindor may have made a huge promise to Mets teammate Jeff McNeil if he won the batting title.

In a hilarious string of events, Mike Puma of the New York Post tweeted out a promise he had heard New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor make to second baseman Jeff McNeil if he is able to bring home this year’s NL batting title.

Spoiler alert for anyone not following along, but McNeil did indeed secure the batting crown, leading the National League with a .326 batting average, a full-season career high for the 30-year-old. He finished just one point above Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, who ended the season with a .325 average of his own.

The batting title, McNeil’s first, is just the cherry on top of what has been an incredible season all around for this Mets club. Miraculously, the team managed to win 101 games during the regular season but still was not able to lock down an NL East winning performance.

Ultimately, the Braves snuck by the Mets and won the NL East due to the fact that there are no more one-off tiebreaker games after MLB reworked its postseason alignments. The Braves had the better record in head-to-head matchups between the two teams, therefore they are the division champs while the Mets were forced to the best-of-three Wild Card round.

Mets: Francisco Lindor may owe Jeff McNeil a new car

While “Frankie” is correct in saying that he didn’t specify what kind of car, he has still been caught red-handed and now owes McNeil a new car. Of course, McNeil may not accept such a gift, but the clubhouse banter is hilarious.

During the 2022 regular season, the middle infield tandem proved to be one of, if not the best duo in the game. Lindor, a 28-year old switch-hitting shortstop, had his best offensive season in years, posting 5.4 bWAR while hitting 26 home runs and driving in 107 runs along the way.

Then there’s the versatile, contact-oriented McNeil, who posted 5.7 bWAR, made his second career All-Star Game appearance and hit nine home runs with 73 runs scored and 62 runs batted in to go along with it. His eye at the plate remained sharp as ever, as he struck out in just 10% of his plate appearances this season, a new career best.

The Mets have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to their middle infielders and the good news for the club and its fans is that McNeil is under contract through 2025 while Lindor is locked up long term and will not be a free agent until the conclusion of the 2032 campaign.