Standing pat at the hot corner shifts the burden back to shortstop. For Lindor, that means targeting one very specific weakness before Opening Day.
If the New York Mets really are going to roll into 2026 without a clear defensive solution at third base, Francisco Lindor just inherited a very specific offseason assignment. The face of the franchise can’t control who the Mets plug in at the hot corner, but he can tighten up the one part of his own defensive profile that suddenly looks like a leak: his ability to move to his right.