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New York Mets infielder Francisco Lindor.
Francisco Lindor is in the midst of a stellar season for the New York Mets, and earned some love from the team this week for reaching a career milestone.
Lindor just completed his first decade in the MLB, which allowed him to hit an important and lucrative milestone. The team took the time to honor Lindor for reaching that mark, while teammates have praised his leadership both on and off the field.
Francisco Lindor’s Decade in the Majors
As New York Post reporter Mike Puma shared in a post on X, the Mets held a ceremony this week to honor Lindor after announcing that he had reached the important career milestone.
“Francisco Lindor was congratulated pregame for reaching 10 years of service time. … He’s now fully vested in the MLB pension plan,” Puma wrote.
Lindor will now be eligible to receive the league’s maximum pension payout, which is $275,000 per year if accessed at age 62. The team’s star became the highest-paid player in Mets history when he signed a 10-year, $341 million contract — which has since been eclipsed by the $765 million deal signed by Juan Soto.
The Mets weren’t the only ones lauding Lindor for his career milestone. He was also honored by the MLB Players’ Association, which shared a social media post praising the Mets star for his leadership.
Lindor broke into the majors in 2015 with the then-Cleveland Indians, playing the first six years of his career there and reaching the World Series before being traded to the Mets in 2021.
Francisco Lindor Getting Loose in Queens
Lindor said he felt a lot of pressure after signing his nine-figure deal with the Mets, saying he felt an obligation to change the culture and turn the team into a winning program. But Lindor added that he started to get looser, which helped him put up a career-best season in 2024.
“Last year, for the first time, I felt like I was always in the moment, and I enjoyed it a lot,” Lindor told Fox Sports in April. “And this year it’s carried over, for sure. So then that’s when you experience true happiness, when you live in the moment. And it slows life down.”
Lindor, who leans heavily on his wife and three young children for support and picked the walk-up song “My Girl” to honor them, said his family has helped him gain perspective.
“I got three kids now. Married, with three kids,” Lindor said. “I definitely learned how to handle failure, how to handle success, how to handle the ups and downs that baseball and life brings. I like the stage I’m in. I can’t wait to continue to grow and learn. I feel like it’s a real thing when they actually tell you, the older you get, the wiser you are. And it feels pretty good to have inner peace, you know?”
Lindor’s attitude and steady demeanor have spread in the clubhouse. Outfielder Jesse Winker said Lindor is “always lifting people up” and setting a good example for his teammates.
“He’s the same dude every day,” Winker said. “I just think when it comes to being a leader, he’s extremely consistent. He cares about everybody else first, and then he goes and does his thing and performs.”
Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty
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