In the often tempestuous world of New York sports media, a simple quote can become a firestorm. So it went with Juan Soto's recent comments about his New York Mets teammate, Starling Marte. Speaking to New York Post reporter Mike Puma, Soto offered high praise for the veteran outfielder, declaring, "I feel like he's actually the captain of the team."
This is New York, and a tweet of that quote set off a ripple effect of online chatter, becoming a lightning rod for a simmering, fan-driven narrative. For months, a segment of the Mets fanbase has wished for a dramatic rift between Soto and Francisco Lindor, a fabricated story of a clash between two of the team’s biggest names.