Sources: Peralta initiated sitdown between Mets' Soto and Lindor - ESPN

NEW YORK — Veteran pitcher Freddy Peralta, whose brief tenure with the New York Mets ended unceremoniously Sunday with his trade to Tampa Bay, called a meeting earlier this season for franchise cornerstones Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor to clear the air.

With tension lingering into their second season as teammates, multiple sources told ESPN that Peralta in June arranged for the two stars to vent and work through their disconnect.

Since then, sources told ESPN, Lindor and Soto's relationship has been noticeably warmer, with the players interacting more often.

«It was as men, not baseball players,» a source said of the meeting.

Peralta confirmed that the meeting occurred but declined to disclose details of the conversation. Lindor acknowledged the meeting took place but downplayed its significance.

«It was more of a conversation like we always have with our group of Latinos,» Lindor said in Spanish. «But I don't want to comment on the details.»

Soto denied such a meeting happened before confirming that the relationship between him and Lindor has improved this season.

«There was no meeting, no discussion,» Soto said in Spanish. «This year has been better. We've gotten along very well. We've learned from each other.»

David Stearns, the Mets' president of baseball operations, declined comment to ESPN.

While both Soto and Lindor have repeatedly denied that a rift ever existed between them, their relationship has been a topic of discussion and speculation since Soto joined the team for the 2024 season after signing a record-breaking 15-year, $765 million contract. The chatter immediately trickled into this season after Soto's locker, which had been near Lindor's last season, was moved across the clubhouse and a frosty