Francisco Lindor still owes Mets teammate a car

New York Mets star shortstop Francisco Lindor apparently hasn't yet embraced the famous saying: A promise is a promise. 

Mike Puma of the New York Post shared on Friday that Lindor still owes teammate Jeff McNeil a car. It was learned last fall that Lindor promised earlier in the 2022 season that he'd buy McNeil a vehicle if the 31-year-old won the National League batting title, which he did via a .326 average. Freddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers finished a single point behind McNeil at .325.

"A hundred percent it’s going to happen," Lindor recently said about keeping his word and presenting McNeil with a new ride. The four-time All-Star selection offered similar comments last fall, and Puma mentioned that Lindor "declined to provide details about what might be holding up the transaction." 

Money shouldn't be an issue regarding the purchase, as Lindor signed a 10-year, $341M contract extension not long after he joined the Mets via a trade from the Cleveland Guardians in early 2021. McNeil, meanwhile, put pen to paper on a four-year, $50M deal that includes a fifth-year club option in January. 

According to Puma, "McNeil indicated he had texted Lindor pictures of Italian cars that intrigued him" ahead of spring training. 

Lindor and McNeil weren't always so chummy. They reportedly got into an altercation during a game back in the spring 2021 and then attempted to blame the commotion on spotting either a raccoon or rat inside the Mets' tunnel. Hopefully, Lindor can right this latest wrong before the two potentially come to blows. 

As Puma alluded to, Lindor, McNeil and the rest of the Mets had more important things to worry about than cars heading into Friday's home series opener against Cleveland. New York began the day at 22-23 and trailing the first-place Atlanta Braves by six games in the NL East standings.