DALLAS -- To set the record straight, Francisco Lindor did not actively recruit Juan Soto to join the Mets. As Soto weighed offers from various teams, Lindor never so much as texted him. A TMZ report that Lindor was in Los Angeles on a recruiting mission turned out to be bunk.

But Lindor, a prominent Mets leader with a direct line to ownership, was aware from the jump that the Mets intended to pursue Soto with vigor. During his end-of-season debriefing meetings with Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns, Lindor ascertained as much. Then he sat back and watched the proceedings unfold ¡°just like a fan, enjoying the whole process and biting my nails.¡±

Only when Soto agreed to terms late Sunday on a record 15-year, $765 million contract did Lindor reach out to him.

¡°I said, ¡®Congratulations, my brother, enjoy,¡¯¡± Lindor recalled of the exchange. ¡°¡®This is fantastic for you, for your family. Have a moment for yourself, and then let¡¯s get to work.¡¯¡±

Soto¡¯s reply: ¡°Exactly. Let¡¯s do it.¡±

Speaking at length this week via a phone interview, Lindor described his relationship with Soto as mostly casual for now. The two have crossed paths plenty of times over the years, on the field as competitors and at charitable ventures. Lindor views Soto as ¡°a fantastic player and a great person and a family man,¡± which jibes with his own worldview. Both also see free agency as a deeply personal decision, which is why Lindor stopped short of trying to influence Soto.

Of course, Lindor told Cohen and Stearns that he would love to have Soto as a teammate, but that was the extent of the shortstop¡¯s involvement.

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¡°It wasn¡¯t like, ¡®Francisco Lindor made this happen,¡¯¡± Lindor said. ¡°No, that¡¯s not how it goes. This is something that they probably talked through many times before they brought it up to me, and once they brought it up to me, I listened, and I said, ¡®Well, I like the plan. Let¡¯s see how everything plays out.¡¯

¡°I did my homework, and all the stuff I heard about [Soto] was fantastic. He¡¯s a hard worker, someone that cares about his craft, someone that cares about his winning, someone that cares about his family, someone that cares about his teammates and somebody that wants to continue to get better. That¡¯s the Mets. It sounds like the Mets. It sounds like the culture I wanted to build, be a part of. I think he¡¯s the right man for the job.¡±

If anyone knows what Soto has gone through over the last six weeks, it¡¯s Lindor, who rather publicly negotiated a 10-year, $341 million contract on the eve of the 2021 season -- at the time, by far the largest deal in Mets history, and still the largest in MLB history for a full-time shortstop. Beyond the money, Lindor had to weigh the pros and cons of committing to a franchise with which he was mostly unfamiliar. Ultimately, he did so because he believed in Cohen¡¯s vision of investing heavily to build a sustainable winner.

¡°And now, four years forward, I¡¯m seeing it,¡± Lindor said. ¡°They¡¯re doing everything they said they were going to do. They were going to put an insane amount of effort on the resources and bringing the right people, bringing people that care about the organization, that care about the culture, that care about each other and that wanted to win. Yeah, I couldn¡¯t be happier for the future.¡±

Lindor did caution that the Mets still have much to accomplish. He¡¯s a fan of the Frankie Montas, Clay Holmes and Jose Siri additions, but he knows the Mets intend to do more. Lindor is also aware that last year¡¯s achievements guarantee nothing in terms of future success. A significant chunk of the roster has already moved on. Many players from the 2024 ¡°OMG¡± Mets won¡¯t be back. The idea of simply bottling last year¡¯s vibes is unrealistic.

Instead the Mets will need to re-create their winning culture behind Lindor, Soto, Brandon Nimmo and other veterans.

¡°Next year¡¯s team is going to be completely different,¡± Lindor said. ¡°Once we get to Spring Training, we¡¯re all going to talk about 2024, and then it¡¯s, ¡®Turn the page, focus on what you have in front of you.¡¯ I know [Soto] is a generational player, and he can help us win a lot of games. Hopefully, he¡¯s part of the run and part of the journey of winning a World Series.¡±