Mets players should take the Tommy Pham comments as a gift of tough love

The New York Mets can’t escape drama this year. On Thursday, comments from Tommy Pham were what headlined the team’s news cycle for this team.

There are a lot of ways to look at these comments. Is Pham a bitter ex or simply stating an honest truth? After all, one of the teams he has played for needs to be the least-hard-working of all. Why wouldn’t it be a team with so much talent that came up short?

Based on how Francisco Lindor thanked Pham for teaching him how to work hard again, it doesn’t seem to be a bad blood situation. Every Mets player should take it the way Lindor did as a gift of tough love.

NY Mets players need to let the Tommy Pham comments light a fire under them

Speculation about who Pham actually meant had Mets fans stumped. If he had complimentary things to say about Lindor, Pete Alonso, and Brandon Nimmo, who’s really left?

Remaining veteran position players include Starling Marte, Jeff McNeil, and Daniel Vogelbach. Could Pham have been ripping into the younger players? It seems like such an odd statement to make when one-third of the starting lineup seems to be excused.

Whoever it was Pham meant, they need to take what he said to heart. They can deny it all they want. When someone calls you out and you think it might relate to you, perk up a little bit and work a little harder.

Lindor taking Pham’s comments seriously is the best outcome from this. He is one of the loudest voices in the clubhouse and he’s going to be around for a while. Perhaps he did get a little too relaxed because of his fat contract. Being a leader isn’t always about being liked. Sometimes you have to throw someone’s lunch in the trash.

How hard-working a team is can be subjective and Pham might just have a different set of standards. We’re all still caught off guard by the comments because despite rumors of a toxic locker room, the work ethic was something we didn’t really question. Gossip queens may try to extend this story forever and that’s okay. The players just need to accept it in stride and motivation to reassess if maybe they can work a little harder.