{"id":551795,"date":"2026-02-03T06:36:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T06:36:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/551795\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T06:36:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T06:36:23","slug":"ny-yankees-hall-of-famer-warns-ny-mets-about-francisco-lindor-ahead-of-wbc-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/551795\/","title":{"rendered":"NY Yankees Hall of Famer warns NY Mets about Francisco Lindor ahead of WBC in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New York Mets<\/a> may have underestimated just how much Puerto Rico wants Francisco Lindor to play in the World Baseball Classic 2026. If that\u2019s the case, New York Yankees Hall of Famer Carlos Beltran reminded them with a revealing admission.<\/p>\n

Shortly after MLB<\/a> Players\u2019 Association (MLBPA) announced Lindor won\u2019t play for Puerto Rico in the WBC<\/a>, Beltran\u2014who played for both the Yankees<\/a> and Mets in his Hall of Fame career\u2014admitted the Puerto Rican national team is not going down without a fight, leaving the door open for Lindor to join the squad in the upcoming international stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe past few days haven\u2019t been easy for me as general manager, nor for Puerto Rico\u2019s baseball federation,\u201d Beltran<\/a> publicly stated, referring to the MLBPA\u2019s announcement. \u201cThe events that transpired are situations that are a part of the [WBC]. We understand them, and they don\u2019t change our commitment. Today, more than ever, we are focused and determined to do everything we can to bring the best possible talent.\u201d<\/p>\n

As reported by Puerto Rican news outlet Primera Hora, Beltran and the national team are holding on to the hope of adding Lindor<\/a> to the lineup for the WBC. However, as the star shortstop underwent surgery on his right elbow in October, the odds aren\u2019t looking too promising for the \u2018Team Rubio\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"Carlos<\/p>\n

Carlos Beltran playing for the NY Yankees<\/p>\n

Puerto Rico will keep pushing for Lindor to play<\/p>\n

\u201cWe continue to work, in dialogue with the WBC and MLB, searching for the best possible solutions, and doing what\u2019s best for our country,\u201d Beltran stated, via Primera Hora.<\/p>\n

\"NY<\/p>\n

see also<\/p>\n

NY Yankees warned about signing free agent targeted by NY Mets in 2026<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

As Beltran admitted, he has Puerto Rico\u2019s best interests at hand\u2014not those of the Mets or the Yankees\u2014despite his strong ties to the New York clubs and what taking Lindor away from the Mets could mean during such a crucial stretch ahead of Opening Day 2026.<\/p>\n

Though most signs indicate Lindor will not be allowed to play for Puerto Rico, the Mets shouldn\u2019t take Beltran\u2019s warning for granted. When they least expect it, Lindor could dye his hair blonde and join \u2018Team Rubio\u2019 as they compete in Pool A of the Round Robin, which will be held in San Juan, Puerto Rico\u2014the capital of the Island of Enchantment.<\/p>\n

SurveyWho will win the WBC?<\/p>\n

Who will win the WBC?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The New York Mets may have underestimated just how much Puerto Rico wants Francisco Lindor to play in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":551796,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2396],"tags":[5,325,227,101,4,1690,61,62,2548,4203],"class_list":{"0":"post-551795","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-mets","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-carlos-beltran","10":"tag-francisco-lindor","11":"tag-mets","12":"tag-mlb","13":"tag-new-york","14":"tag-new-york-mets","15":"tag-new-york-yankees","16":"tag-newyork","17":"tag-newyorkmets"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116005319184728304","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551795","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=551795"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551795\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/551796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=551795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=551795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=551795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}