Locked-in Yankees are showing NY Mets clubhouse leaders how to take care of business

The New York Mets have 4-4 to start the 2026 season and currently reside in fourth place in the NL East. It's far too soon to panic, but it's also important to remember regular-season games in March and April count just as much in the standings as those that occur in August and September.

More concerning isn't the record, but the way in which the Mets have lost those games. They haven't exactly opened the season by going through the titans of the league, taking on the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, and now the San Francisco Giants. That trio had nary a playoff appearance between them in 2025. Despite that, New York has lost four of its last five games.

Losing games is bad; doing it in a sloppy and unfocused manner, as the Mets have, is worse. They'll need to snap out of their funk quickly, and until they do, they're only going to hear the noise as their crosstown rival, the New York Yankees, are rolling, even with their best player, Aaron Judge, mired in an awful slump.

Fortunately, the Yankees' veteran leaders have laid out a roadmap for the Mets' core can follow.

Mets leaders like Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto need to take a page out of the Yankees' book

The Yankees had a team meeting where the veterans called for focus and energy as they look to get better at closing out series wins this year. So far, it's been working for them.

“At the end of the day, it’s focus with it being everyday: late nights, cross-country, early mornings — whatever you want. Focus is the main thing that sways, with energy, as well. But low energy is low focus. It’s one and the same,” Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton said.

Stanton has been walking the talk so far this season, with a 1.250 OPS so far despite dealing with tendonitis in both elbows that was so bad it had prevented him from even opening a bag of chips.

Meanwhile, energy and focus were the furthest things from anyone's mind when they watched Francisco Lindor's lackadaisical play in the series finale against the Cardinals. Forgetting how many outs there are in the first inning is unforgivable, and if getting picked off first in the sixth inning wasn't bad enough, the fact that he didn't even attempt to get in a rundown to force an error was a stunning lack of energy.

As Stanton, along with Aaron Judge and Paul Goldschmidt, holds court over the Yankees' young players, as well as their many vets, the Mets need the same. Lindor is the longest tenured player and the de facto captain (even if Steve Cohen has stated there will never be another captain during his ownership); his voice needs to be heard, and his play on the field needs to reflect those words.

When he was asked about potentially receiving the captaincy a year ago, Lindor said, “I do feel like I’m one of the leaders of the team. … If it does happen, it would be an honor. It would be a privilege. It’s something I would never take for granted.”

It's time to act like it, regardless of whether or not he has the "C" on his chest. Lindor's issues with Jeff McNeil and others in the clubhouse last season may or may not have been overblown, and even if he and Soto aren't best friends, they need to work together to keep the team on track.

As the highest-paid player on the team and in the sport, Soto needs to be a leader as well. He can't remain silent, and what he does say matters. Racing Luis Robert Jr. in the outfield is a fun morale booster, but he'll need to hold his teammates accountable, too.

It's still early, and these guys can certainly come together to right the ship. There's a lot of talent on this team, but there was a lot of talent, despite the deficiencies, last year as well. The guys who are supposed to be the vocal leaders need to be just that and hold themselves accountable above everyone else. If not, we'll be in for another disappointing year.