There’s little doubt about the identity Jim Harbaugh wants to instill on the Los Angeles Chargers.

The first two first-round selections of Harbaugh’s era with the Chargers have been quintessential Harbaugh-type picks. Tackle Joe Alt was selected No. 5 overall in the 2024 draft and the Chargers used the No. 22 pick this year to grab running back Omarion Hampton.

Harbaugh’s football philosophy is to be a physical, run-oriented football team.

“Fired up to get an outstanding football player who really loves football and can score the ball. I love the production, over 1,600 yards rushing (and) (38) catches out of the backfield (last season). He gives us a real weapon there on all three downs,” Harbaugh said. “He’s durable, and an outstanding football player.”

The Chargers haven’t had a running back top 1,000 yards in a season since Melvin Gordon in 2017, which predates Harbaugh’s arrival.

“When you watch him, he’s physical, he’s explosive, he’s tough, he’s got great balance, he’s got excellent speed, gets outside, finishes long runs and breaks off big gains,” Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz said. “When you watch him in the secondary, he just lowers his shoulders and runs through tackles. Like coach (Harbaugh) said, he also has value as a pass receiver. Just another player to add to the stable and get after it.”

Harbaugh conceded the Chargers did quarterback Justin Herbert a disservice last year after the team’s disheartening loss to the Houston Texans in the wild-card playoffs.

Herbert averaged a career-low 227 passing yards per game and was sacked a career-high 41 times in 2024. Los Angeles didn’t have a reliable pass-catching option outside of rookie slot receiver Ladd McConke, and the backfield gained more yards than expected on only 27% of their carries last season, the fourth-lowest mark in the NFL, per Next Gen Stats.

The Chargers selected five offensive players in their nine-player draft class, including their first-round pick Hampton and second-round selection Ole Miss wide receiver Tre Harris, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound physical receiver.

“Tre Harris, the athleticism, also, strength, power and toughness. And Omarion, that is strength, power, speed (and) agility,” Harbaugh said. “We are pretty fired up.”

In addition to the draft class, 6-foot-7, 363-pound guard Mekhi Becton, 6-foot-1,242-pound running back Najee Harris, 6-foot-4, 218-pound wide receiver Mike Williams and 6-foot-3, 248-pound tight end Tyler Conklin were key free agent acquisitions.

The Chargers’ 20th-ranked offense was lethargic a year ago. The team has made a concerted effort to acquire more offensive talent with more physically imposing players. Prototypical Harbaugh-type guys.

“Weapons for Justin. Guys that Justin can get the ball to,” Harbaugh said. “We’re very excited about that.”

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The WNBA has announced its complete 15-game preseason schedule for 2025 and, for the first time in league preseason history, all games will be available to watch on broadcast or streaming.

One highlighted preseason matchup features Caitlin Clark returning to the University of Iowa as the Indiana Fever competes against Brazil’s women’s national basketball team.

The WNBA preseason games will be broadcast on a variety of platforms, including ESPN, ION and NBA TV, with an additional 14 games available on WNBA League Pass. This diverse range of options provides fans access to the complete lineup of preseason games through linear and streaming options. The final game of the preseason will be available on ESPN platforms.

‘We’ve seen the demand for WNBA content grow exponentially and we are meeting that demand by working with our broadcast partners and our teams to make a significant investment by making all 15 preseason games available to WNBA fans,’ WNBA chief growth officer Colie Edison said in a news release.

When does 2025 WNBA preseason start?

The WNBA preseason will kick off Friday, May 2, featuring two games. The first matchup of the evening will highlight the highly anticipated debut of Paige Bueckers in a Dallas Wings jersey as they take on the Las Vegas Aces. The second game will feature Brazil’s women’s national basketball team playing against the Chicago Sky. Both games will be available to watch on ION.

The preseason will conclude May 12, with the Toyota Antelopes of the Women’s Japan Basketball League facing the New York Liberty at the University of Oregon’s Matthew Knight Arena.

When does Caitlin Clark play?

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever open the preseason against the Washington Mystics at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Saturday, May 3 at 1 p.m. ET.

On Sunday, May 4, the Fever will be taking on Brazil’s women’s national basketball team at the University of Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN at 4 p.m. ET.

2025 WNBA preseason schedule

According to WNBA.com and all times Eastern:

May 2: Dallas vs. Las Vegas, 7 p.m. on ION/W League Pass
May 2: Brazil National Team vs. Chicago, 9 p.m. on ION/W League Pass
May 3: Washington vs. Indiana, 1 p.m. on NBA TV
May 4: Brazil National Team vs. Indiana, 4 p.m. on ESPN
May 4: Connecticut vs. Seattle, 6 p.m. on W League Pass
May 6: Minnesota vs. Chicago, 7 p.m. on W League Pass
May 6: Los Angeles vs. Golden State, 10 p.m. on W League Pass
May 6: Phoenix vs. Las Vegas, 10 p.m. on W League Pass
May 7: Atlanta vs. Washington, 11:30 a.m. on W League Pass
May 9: Connecticut vs. New York, 7 p.m. on W League Pass
May 10: Indiana vs. Atlanta, 3 p.m. on W League Pass
May 10: Chicago vs. Minnesota, 8 p.m. on W League Pass
May 10: Toyota Antelopes vs. Dallas, 8 p.m. on W League Pass
May 11: Golden State vs. Phoenix, 6 p.m. on W League Pass
May 12: Toyota Antelopes vs. New York, 10 p.m. on W League Pass

One of the most coveted players in the men’s college basketball transfer portal has decided on his next home.

Chad Baker-Mazara, the mercurial Auburn guard/forward who was one of the best players during this past season’s Final Four run, announced his commitment to Southern California on Monday.

‘Dreams turned into reality!!’ he wrote in a post on social media. ‘Let’s go to work!!’

The 6-foot-7 Baker-Mazara averaged 12.3 points and a team-high 1.2 steals per game last season while starting in 34 of Auburn’s 38 games. He was second on the team in scoring, behind only first-team All-America forward Johni Broome, and earned third-team All-SEC honors.

His decision to leave Auburn surprised many across the sport, but it made an invaluable piece from one of the country’s best teams available. Baker-Mazara is rated as the No. 24 player in the portal by 247Sports.

At USC, he’ll join a program that has had a busy offseason. While the Trojans have lost seven players to transfer – including guards Desmond Claude and Wesley Yates III, their top two scorers last season – Baker-Mazara became their eighth commitment out of the portal. That group also includes former Maryland guard Rodney Rice and former Virginia forward Jacob Cofie, both of whom are rated by 247 as top-100 transfers.

USC went 17-18 in 2024-25 in its first season under coach Eric Musselman, who was one of the first college basketball coaches to lean heavily into the portal to build his rosters during previous stints at Arkansas and Nevada.

Baker-Mazara’s commitment isn’t only notable because of the impact he can have for a USC team vying for a Big Ten title, but because of his age.

The native of the Dominican Republic will turn 26 years old next January, making him a month older than Indiana Pacers all-star guard Tyrese Haliburton, who’s in his fifth NBA season. 

Baker-Mazara began his college career at Duquesne in 2020-21 before later playing at San Diego State in 2021-22 and Northwest Florida State in 2022-23. He transferred to Auburn ahead of the 2023-24 season. 

He has remaining eligibility because players who competed during the COVID-19-altered 2020-21 season were given a waiver by the NCAA and his season at the junior college level for now won’t count against his eligibility after a federal judge in Tennessee granted an injunction last December in a case concerning Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who claimed the NCAA’s rule that counts a player’s time in junior college toward their overall eligibility is a violation of antitrust law.

The Philadelphia Eagles won’t be sending the whole convocation to the nation’s capital.

Nearly three months after hoisting the second Lombardi Trophy in franchise history, the Eagles are getting their day at the White House on Monday.

However, the Super Bowl 59 champions will be without their starting quarterback on Monday when the team meets with President Donald Trump.

Jalen Hurts, the Super Bowl MVP, will not be in attendance, according to USA TODAY’s White House correspondent, Joey Garrison.

Hurts is not the first player to skip the visit and he almost certainly won’t be the last in what has become a politically charged event. Tom Brady famously skipped the visit with former President Barack Obama. During the first Trump administration, the Eagles, as a team, didn’t go following the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory and were eventually uninvited.

MLB’s Mookie Betts didn’t go with the Boston Red Sox to celebrate their World Series victory in 2019 but opted to visit with the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this month.

In this case with Hurts, the White House said his absence is related to a scheduling conflict.

The quarterback’s silence in response to a question from TIME on April 24 about the upcoming visit stole headlines, with many suggesting the non-answer meant Hurts would opt out.

One Eagles player who won’t be opting out is Saquon Barkley. The star running back was seen with the president on Sunday after golfing with the commander-in-chief at his New Jersey golf course.

Barkley, in a post on X, fired back at critics on Monday.

‘Some people are really upset cause I played golfed and flew to the White House with the PRESIDENT,’ he wrote. ‘Maybe I just respect the office, not a hard concept to understand. Just golfed with Obama not too long ago…and look forward to finishing my round with Trump ! Now ya get out my mentions with all this politics and have amazing day (crying laughing emoji).’

The ceremony will take place on the White House’s South Lawn beginning at 4 p.m. ET, according to the president’s public calendar.

He didn’t interview well. He was arrogant in meetings with draft evaluators. Draft process was disrespected because we do not disrespect the draft process because the draft process is non-disrespectful and any disrespect of it is full of rampant disrespect.

That’s one part of the draft process.

But there’s another. There’s a part of the process where teams will get upset over behavior in a meeting room but tolerate alleged terrible behavior outside of it. This draft process also produced the Ravens selecting Marshall pass rusher Mike Green, who has been accused of sexual assault.

Green has vehemently denied the accusations against him, and we don’t know if they’re true or not. They were enough for some teams, according to Sports Illustrated, to remove Green from their draft boards.

‘I’ve done nothing wrong,’ Green said. “There’s accusations out there. I’ve never been questioned. I’ve never been asked. Nobody ever asked me a question about what happened before I departed from Virginia. It was just accusations that caused me to leave.”

This aspect of the vaunted draft process shines a light on the NFL’s hypocrisy. Punish a player for not saying the right things in a pre-draft meeting with coaches and team executives. Reward a player for being accused of terrible acts.

This is an old NFL one-two dance. This has been the case since professional football was invented, but this moment is particularly exemplary because of what happened to Sanders.

Could Sanders have handled things better? Sure. He’s basically admitted as such.

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He fell like a rock for his “crime.” Green got a gorgeous parachute landing into one of the best franchises in the NFL.

There are so many reasons why the Ravens selecting him is problematic. This is a team that still has kicker Justin Tucker on its roster (though he might be on his way out). He’s been credibly accused of sexual misconduct by over a dozen massage therapists.

This is a team that had Ray Rice on it. He was involved in a terrifying case of domestic violence.

Not sure how the “draft process” went with those two but whatever.

Now Green. He faced two separate allegations of sexual assault between high school and college (he discussed this at February’s scouting combine). He was previously suspended from Virginia’s football program. Then transferred to Marshall.

Eric DeCosta, the Ravens’ general manager, explained the team’s reasoning for taking Green.

“I would say that we investigated this situation very thoroughly,” DeCosta said. “I think we have the best scouts in the NFL. We’ve got great scouts that go into Virginia. They go into Marshall. We’ve got people that work for investigating different incidents with players all the time, and we felt comfortable taking (Green). We think he’s a talented player. We understand the severity of what these allegations were, of course, but doing our due diligence, we are comfortable with Mike. I personally spent an hour and a half with him in my office, and I think the best is yet to come with him, and I’m glad we got him.” 

Said coach John Harbaugh: “I actually wasn’t here the day we met with him, but I’d just echo what Eric said. It was Eric. It was our scouts. I was in all the meetings. I heard all the reports. What Eric said was … It’s not so much what they were and what they weren’t. It’s just as important, and the coaches and administrators and teammates at Marshall were fully supportive of everything he had done there, and (it was the) same at UVA. It wasn’t any different at UVA. It was exactly the same from that standpoint, so you talk about due diligence. It was exhaustive – what these guys have done – and we made a decision based on what we felt was fair.” 

It should be noted that when the Browns were dealing with the numerous and ugly accusations against quarterback Deshaun Watson, Harbaugh said the Ravens have a “zero tolerance policy.” He didn’t say what that zero tolerance was for. But use your imagination.

There are parts of the league that the NFL wants players (and fans) to revere. But what the league forgets is that we see the ugly corners of the sport, too. We don’t ignore those. We’re just as aware of them as the manicured images the league wants us to solely consume.

The draft is over. The process continues. The extremely flawed process.

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley does not want to see politics in his mentions. Even if it’s after he hangs out with a politician.

Barkley golfed with President Donald Trump at the latter’s golf course in New Jersey on Sunday. On Monday morning, Barkley took to social media to fire back at those who criticized his decision to join the president.

‘[S]ome people are really upset cause I played golfed and flew to the White House with the PRESIDENT,’ he wrote on social media platform X. ‘Maybe I just respect the office, not a hard concept to understand. Just golfed with Obama not too long ago…and look forward to finishing my round with Trump ! Now ya get out my mentions with all this politics and have amazing day (crying laughing emoji).’

Barkley – along with team owner Jeffrey Lurie – played golf with former President Barack Obama last October at Merion Golf Club in Pennsylvania. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts joined to walk the course as well, though his contract forbade him from playing.

Barkley’s golf outing with the current president came one day before the Eagles’ scheduled visit to the White House. The team is in Washington on Monday to celebrate their Super Bowl 59 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

According to the president’s public calendar, the ceremony will take place on the White House’s South Lawn beginning at 4 p.m. ET.

The completion of the NFL draft typically marks the end of the offseason period during which teams can easily transform themselves.

From cuts and trades to signings and picks, the preceding months have provided a sizable window for all 32 franchises to reconfigure their outlooks for both the short and long term. But with the seven rounds and 257 selections from this year’s draft now in the books, teams are now settling into clearer visions of how they’ll look next season.

Or at least they should be.

The action never truly ends in the NFL, and some front offices can’t just yet switch their phones off as they mull ways to address lingering needs.

With that in mind, here are five NFL teams that still have major roster holes after the draft.

Dallas Cowboys: Wide receiver

When Jerry Jones passed on a wideout with his first draft choice, it put fans on wait for a selection that never came. Nine picks came and went, and not a single wideout was scooped up by Dallas.

Is it time to sound the alarm on a passing attack that already has been ridiculed after the hiring of first-time head coach and new playcaller Brian Schottenheimer?

Jones, naturally, appears rather unbothered by the current landscape. In addressing where the team goes from here with the vacancy for a No. 2 target to take heat off CeeDee Lamb, the owner and general manager declared ‘the train has not left the station’ regarding an additional acquisition. Jones said ahead of the draft that he had been working on ‘pretty substantive trades,’ and several notable free agent pass catchers – including Keenan Allen, Diontae Johnson and, yes, former Cowboys standout Amari Cooper – remain unsigned.

But Jones’ refusal to be boxed in by external pressures matters here, especially after defying expectations last year by not taking a running back in the draft amid widespread uncertainty about the ground game. Despite multiple reports indicating that the Cowboys would have taken Tetairoa McMillan had the Carolina Panthers’ choice at No. 8 been available four picks later, Jones simply might not have believed the issue with the aerial attack to be pressing enough to deviate from his strategy. And with Jones reasserting his faith in Jonathan Mingo, for whom he surrendered a fourth-round pick in a trade last November, Dallas could always simply stand pat.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Quarterback

Well, of course. As the wait for Aaron Rodgers’ decision drags on, many assumed Pittsburgh would feel the impetus to pull the trigger on an early quarterback pick despite Pittsburgh saying its draft plans weren’t linked to the four-time MVP’s process. Instead, Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan again stayed the course, which led it to first-round defensive tackle Derrick Harmon and third-round running back Kaleb Johnson. The team eventually took Ohio State quarterback Will Howard in the sixth round, but that likely represents a stab at a long-term developmental option and additional depth, with Khan having said that two more passers were required heading into training camp.

Now, the resolution on Rodgers’ future carries even more weight.

Seldom has a post-draft move ever held such importance for a team, with the Steelers still looking for a triggerman capable of taking advantage of new weapon DK Metcalf. Team president and owner Art Rooney II is remaining optimistic, saying Friday on Steelers Nation Radio that Rodgers ‘does want to come here.’ If the 41-year-old signal-caller decides otherwise, however, it would prove calamitous for an organization intent on scoring its first playoff win since the 2016 season. Should that emergency scenario arise, turning their attention to Kirk Cousins – so long as both the veteran passer and the Atlanta Falcons are willing to budge in a deal – would at least give the Steelers a somewhat reasonable alternative to entrusting its campaign to Mason Rudolph.

Cincinnati Bengals: Defensive tackle

It should come as no surprise that the Bengals zeroed in on their edge rush with their first-round pick. Even if Cincinnati doesn’t blink in its standoff with NFL sack king Trey Hendrickson, a defense that struggled to generate pressure from any other source was due for another presence who could close in on quarterbacks. And while defensive tackle Derrick Harmon could have been a consideration for the front, Duke Tobin opted for traits and upside ahead of a firmer track record of disruption.

Still, with the Bengals plugging other holes at linebacker and offensive guard at Day 2, the team turned down the opportunity to take advantage of a deep class at defensive tackle. Cincinnati is clearly expecting 2024 second-rounder Kris Jenkins Jr. and third-rounder McKinnley Jackson to step up, but neither one can be counted on to chase quarterbacks off their spot with any regularity. If the Bengals want to ramp up interior pressure, it might be incumbent on new defensive coordinator Al Golden to scheme it up.

Washington Commanders: Edge rusher

With trades for left tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. in March, Washington bolstered the supporting cast for Jayden Daniels with an aggressiveness befitting a team flush with cap space. That approach led many to believe another splash was coming in some form at defensive end. But with most of the draft’s premier edge threats already accounted for by the time the Commanders came on the clock at No. 29 on Thursday, general manager Adam Peters stuck with his offseason theme by taking offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. ahead of several pass rushers who fell in the middle or late second round.

Short of the Bengals reaching a breaking point with Hendrickson and shipping him off – which wouldn’t make much sense at this point in the calendar for a team committed to reasserting its contender status right away – it’s difficult to envision Washington dramatically reshaping its pass rush anytime soon. With Dan Quinn’s crew likely needing to again cobble together pressures and sacks from a variety of contributors, the Commanders still could make a veteran depth addition or two sometime before the start of the season. But this could be a team to watch as a potential buyer near the trade deadline if some more promising options emerge from teams on the downswing.

Miami Dolphins: Cornerback

With neither one of his lines looking prepared to pack much of a punch, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier zeroed in on Miami’s fronts early in the draft. First-round defensive tackle and second-round offensive guard Jonah Savaiinaea each make their respective position groups a good deal more forceful.

Yet even though Grier acknowledged before the draft that the team was looking to trade Jalen Ramsey, the team passed on several promising cornerbacks in the first two days before finally addressing the position by taking Jason Marshall Jr. in the fifth round. That doesn’t indicate Ramsey is a good bet to return, however, as Grier said after the draft, ‘When it happens, whatever it is, we’ll make the deal at the appropriate time.’

No matter how it all shakes out, it’s clear Miami’s secondary is in a shaky spot. With standout safety Jevon Holland off to the New York Giants and free agents Ifeatu Melifonwu and Ashtyn Davis stepping in, nickel Kader Kahou might end up the only stable entity on the back end if the Ramsey split materializes. Grier is demanding more of oft-injured former second-round cornerback Cam Smith, saying before the draft that the team ‘can’t hold his hand and wait for him anymore.’ Miami returned both Grier and coach Mike McDaniel in hopes of ending the league’s longest active win postseason win drought (24 seasons), but a collapse of the once-promising pass defense could prompt a re-evaluation of just how competitive this high-priced roster can be.

The horse starting out of Gate 15 during the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby has long odds to win the first Triple Crown race of 2025. But it might be the pick with the most sentimental value in the field Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Render Judgment is owned, in part, by Dream Walkin’ Farms, which was run by the late country music superstar Toby Keith. The singer with No. 1 hits that included ‘Beer For My Horses’ and ‘Should’ve Been a Cowboy,’ died in February 2024 at the age of 62 less than two years after announcing he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer.

This will be the first Kentucky Derby entrant for the Oklahoma-based thoroughbred and racing operation Keith started in 2001.

‘It was Toby’s dream,’ began the caption to a post on Keith’s official Instagram account announcing Render Judgment’s inclusion as one of the 20 horses in the 2025 Kentucky Derby lineup. ‘Render Judgment is going to the @kentuckyderby. He worked so hard to finally have one there! Toby will have the best seat in the house to watch.’

Toby Keith’s Kentucky Derby horse: What to know

Render Judgment was a late entrant into the 2025 Kentucky Derby after initial reports suggested it would not race in Saturday’s main event at Churchill Downs, despite being first on the ‘also-eligible’ list based on qualifying points.

Trainer Kenny McPeek then announced on Saturday, April 26 that Render Judgment had been entered in the 2025 Kentucky Derby after Tappan Street was removed from the race following an injury suffered in a workout.

Keith raced and bred horses under the name Dream Walkin’, which took its name from a song (and an album of the same name) released in 1997, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal. Since its founding in 2001, Dream Walkin’ Farms has earned more than $19 million.

Dream Walkin’ Farms’ most successful racehorse, as sole owner, was Smack Smack, a graded-stakes winning thoroughbred. In 2016, Smack Smack placed first in the Grade 3 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap at Prairie Meadows Racetrack in Altoona, Iowa.

Render Judgment is also owned by Baccari Racing Stable, MJM Racing and Rocket Ship Racing. The colt is trained by McPeek, who won his first Kentucky Derby in 10 tries last year with longshot Mystik Dan. Jockey Julien Leparoux is slated to ride Render Judgment in a race for the first time on Saturday.

But ownership, including Keith’s family, wanted this for Keith as much as anything.

‘The group, they pow-wowed without me, which is fine, and they decided they wanted to run and … if that’s what they want to do, I’m all for it. Matter of fact, I’m hoping I’m really happy they convinced me to Saturday night,’ McPeek said. ‘I understand the dream and … it’s Toby Keith’s family and Toby passed away this past year and I think there’s some sentiment there, which, look, I believe in higher powers and I hope a higher power comes through.’

When is the 2025 Kentucky Derby?

The 151st Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs is set for Saturday, May 3, 2025. The Kentucky Derby will be broadcast on NBC and USA Network. Streaming options will be available on Fubo (which offers a free trial) and Peacock.

Date: Saturday, May 3, 2025
Time: 6:45 p.m. ET
TV: NBC, USA Network
Stream: Fubo, Peacock
Location: Churchill Downs (Louisville, Kentucky)

Watch the Kentucky Derby with Fubo

WASHINGTON – At 31, Francisco Lindor should be facing the headwinds of baseball’s aging curve.

The game’s modern gospel decrees that career peaks are reached in a player’s mid-20s, particularly shortstops with almost unmatched power-speed profiles. That a player who was a perennial All-Star at 22 yet failed to earn that distinction in his first four seasons moving to a major market would struggle to recapture his status as one of the top five or so players in the game.

Yet here is Lindor, driving the New York Mets to a major league-best 19-9 record through the first month of the season, and about to cap off arguably the greatest 162-game stretch of his career. It is a testament not only to his Hall of Fame-caliber ability, but also his continued growth as his career progresses and he gains more comfort with who he is, and what he can be.

“You gain knowledge. With knowledge comes maturity,” Lindor tells USA TODAY Sports. “There are life experiences that, for better or for worse, make you a much stronger person, a more genuine, a more understanding human being.

“I have three kids. I have a beautiful wife. It’s something that you continue to learn as you go.”

Yes, it’s been a dizzying few years since Lindor arrived from Cleveland in a blockbuster deal, then in April 2021 signed a 10-year, $341 million contract to make him a Met for life. He and his wife Katia wed in November 2021, welcomed their second daughter in June 2023 and their first son just a month ago.

Meanwhile, Mets owner Steve Cohen’s efforts to build an empire continued apace, Lindor the original centerpiece even as he struggled initially in his adjustment from American to National League.

With each passing year in Queens, though, Lindor’s WAR kept climbing the charts, his comfort level seemingly rising. And then last May, Lindor got an unintended turbo boost when manager Carlos Mendoza moved him into the leadoff spot.

In 134 games since, the only big leaguers arguably more impactful than Lindor are reigning MVPs Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani.

Lindor has slashed .309/.374/.548, and his .920 OPS over 612 plate appearances outpaces all his full-season totals, including a career-high .871 mark in 2018, when he was 24.

Perhaps more significant is what the Mets have accomplished in that period.

They went from midseason malaise to one of the game’s most compelling stories by the end of 2024, snagging an unlikely wild-card spot, escaping Milwaukee with a wild-card series win, stunning the division champ Philadelphia Phillies and pushing the eventual title-winning Los Angeles Dodgers to six games in the NL Championship Series.

Strangely enough, even as the club experienced significant turnover and added $765 million man Juan Soto – off to a slow start thus far – this season has almost felt like a continuation of the last.

To wit: Lindor finished off the Phillies in the NLDS with a Game 4 grand slam. In his first at-bat against them this season, he homered again.

“Yeah man, it’s been incredible,” says Mets outfielder Jesse Winker, who has known Lindor since both were teens playing ball in the Orlando area. “Every single night he does something special on the field to help the team win and that’s really cool to see.

“I just think he’s a guy who knows who he is. He knows how to prepare and knows how to execute in all facets of the game.”

Peak-a-boo

Perhaps that’s the misleading bit about Lindor, whose “Mr. Smile” nickname and wonderfully flashy skill set belies the grinder at his core.

He’s played between 152 and 160 games in six of his eight full seasons, a daily masterclass in energy conservation and availability.

“That’s the miraculous thing – there’s no secret formula with him, no secret anything,” says Mets slugger Pete Alonso, who has slugged a team-leading six home runs in 28 games. “His superpower is his consistency. It’s hard work, it’s dedication and him willing to show up every day and have the internal drive to be the best player he can be every single day.

“And act on that internal feeling.”

Lindor echoes many modern ballplayers when he claims he just wants “to be the best version of myself.”

That doesn’t necessarily mean the best version, adjusted for age.

Lindor’s four-month rampage in 2024 produced his best MVP finish – runner-up to Ohtani – during a career in which he placed in the top 10 a half-dozen times. His 6.9 Wins Above Replacement was second only to that age-24 season in Cleveland, when he posted 7.3 WAR.

For Lindor, there’s no true apex – at least not one he’s seen, yet.

“That means you gotta continue to learn, continue to work day in and day out,” he says. “I truly believe that in life, if you work every single day and you try to get better and acquire knowledge every day, you can continue to peak.”

It’s not a bad mantra for the Mets. Cohen’s determination to flex his financial might resulted in a 101-win season in 2022, but a late fade ceded the NL East to the Braves and a wild-card elimination at the San Diego Padres’ hands followed.

A step back was required when consecutive $43 million annual investments in aging pitchers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander went awry in 2023, and the following season looked like another gap year as first-year baseball operations chief David Stearns recalibrated.

Yet the Mets started 24-35 and finished 65-38. Their run to Game 6 of the NLCS was the closest Lindor came to sniffing a championship since Cleveland fell devastatingly short in the 2016 World Series, squandering a 3-1 lead and succumbing in Game 7 extra innings.

“I’ve been wanting to win it all since Day 1,” he says, accompanied by an audible sigh. “It’s something that everyone here should play for, and I think we all play for that.

“The drive keeps getting bigger and bigger.”

Slowing down time

With that in mind, the Lindor-Mets fit only seems to grow snugger. Cohen kept the gang together for at least another year by retaining Alonso for $30 million; the Polar Bear can opt to hit the free agent market again this winter.

Stearns brought his pitcher-whispering magic over from Milwaukee, assembling a staff that leads the majors with a 2.53 ERA and has given up the fewest home runs, 12 in 28 games.

Winning the Soto sweepstakes showed that there may not be a ceiling on Cohen’s wherewithal toward his beloved ballclub, at least not until there’s a parade feting its first championship since 1986.

Lindor can dig it.

“New York is a city that’s always hungry and wants more,” he says. “I feel like it fits my personality.”

If it all gets too big, Lindor’s family compartmentalizes it quickly, in a manner he can appreciate.

“My 0-for-4s are not as big anymore. It’s all them,” he says. “I’m blessed to be in the position I’m in and continue to try to get better so I can be the best father and husband I can be.”

The family lives in Florida in the offseason yet the kids are at least partially growing up at Citi Field. His firstborn, Kalina Zoe, turns 5 in November, old enough to realize her dad has a pretty cool gig.

“It’s fantastic. It’s my dream,” says Lindor. “It’s sad that they grow up so quick.”

Sounds like another challenge for Lindor to slow the hands of time.

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