New York Mets moving on from 'rat vs. raccoon' debate between Francisco Lindor and Jeff McNeil

NEW YORK — New York Mets acting general manager Zack Scott performed a delicate dance — and quite well, to be honest — in addressing Friday night’s incident between Francisco Lindor and Jeff McNeil. He remained candid while also not disparaging his players, an important blend in these situations.  

Lindor and McNeil had a disagreement in the dugout tunnel during the game. That much is clear. We don’t know the specifics, but we do know that this was not a debate about whether they saw a rat or a raccoon (Just so we're being honest with one another here). 

So why did Lindor lie about it by saying the altercation was about an animal? 

“That wouldn't be my recommendation,” Scott said Saturday, “and probably no one with the organization would make that recommendation to handle it that way.”

This is probably the lesson to learn here: Sure, Rat vs. Raccoon was a comical way of saying “no comment.” But wouldn't it have been smarter for both players to admit they argued, say they were over it and move forward?

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Regardless, the players chose to go a different route. 

“It’s definitely not how I’d go,” Scott said. “And I think what’s unfortunate is it’s a little bit bigger of a story than it needs to be and it takes away from one of our best wins of the year.”

'Winning cures all'

This is the important part. As the cliché goes, “winning cures all.” The Mets overcame a four-run deficit and won in walk-off fashion. It gave them a third straight victory. Plus, Lindor had blasted a game-tying home run. 

On social media, fans were focused on SNY broadcast cameras catching a bunch of Mets rushing down into the dugout tunnel. In the moment, no one knew why. Then speculation began about a potential disagreement between Lindor and McNeil because of a miscommunication on a ball that went between them. 

To be clear: A potential fight between a $341 million player and the second baseman beside him is a story. 

It’s also easier for people to believe there are no hard feelings if the team is winning. And after the incident, the Mets were 14-13. 

Transparency is usually best

Instead, Lindor lied and extended the story’s life. And Scott knows a lot about this, given he spent over a decade and a half in the front office in Boston, another market where otherwise minor stories can gain traction for days if handled incorrectly. 

"I'd say what I learned is, the way to handle these things, the best way to handle these things is typically to just be as transparent as you can be without divulging things that people don't want out there, to not be disparaging in any way but to address it, to hit things head-on,” Scott said. “I always find, as someone that is from the Northeast, that is from the Northeast area, as a Northeasterner I feel like we like straightforwardness. We like feeling like we're getting honesty even if it's sometimes things we don't want to hear. Just be upfront about it and be real about it. I always think that's the best way to handle it."

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This story is a tricky one. Some fans may not even care. After all, Lindor and McNeil seemed to be over whatever argument they had in the dugout tunnel. And anyone who has ever played a team sport at any level understands that disagreements occur. It's just part of it. They don't have to break relationships. 

Will this benefit the Mets in the long run?

Heck, these situations can even strengthen the bond between teammates and, by association, the team as a whole. 

"We’re a better ball club tonight because of whatever happened last night," Mets manager Luis Rojas said on Saturday. 

Rojas soon added: "This is not an act. You’re going to see it out there. Guys are going to be playing, they’re going to be having fun and they’re just going to be doing what they do. Yesterday just made us better, I think, as a family and as a team."

If true, that's good news for Mets fans. 

Another positive: Scott said nothing he learned about the Lindor-McNeil situation proved alarming enough for him to personally intervene. 

Asked when he would intervene, he said, in part: "I think it would have to be something pretty significant, possibly signaling some sort of dysfunction in the clubhouse — which I don’t see anything like that."

The two players were at the center of the Mets' 4-2 victory Saturday night. Afteward, while McNeil was speaking to reporters in the Mets' Zoom room, Lindor hopped on the call, hugged McNeil and announced that the beast the two argued about a night ago was neither a rat nor a raccoon. 

It was a "Ratcoon." 

The point: Their relationship is just fine. No reason to worry.

“It’s fantastic playing with (Lindor)," McNeil said. "I hope to do so for a long time. He’s going to be here for a while, so hopefully I can do the same and we can have a great up-the-middle combo for years to come."

Fight? Rat? Raccoon? Opossum? 

As long as the Mets' clubhouse remains together and keeps winning, it probably doesn't matter. 

Justin Toscano is the Mets beat writer for NorthJersey.com. Email: toscanoj@northjersey.com; Twitter: @justinctoscano.