The New York Mets finished the 2025 season with 83 wins but missed the playoffs despite shelling out $342 million on players. According to reports, internal friction may have curtailed the Mets' momentum.According to the New York Post's Mike Puma, the Mets' top leadership group had major differences. Puma's article, published on Friday, focused on the fallout between Jeff McNeil and Francisco Lindor. It also questioned the team's clear leader. Newcomer Juan Soto was reported to have had a different approach to the game than Lindor's."Soto is very businesslike— all business, no fluff," an anonymous source from the club disclosed to the NY Post. "He wants to come to the yard and work his tail off and win games. He's not into fashion or any of that stuff. Lindor is into that. It's just two different personalities."MLB insider Mike Rodriguez shared an image alleging that Soto doesn't follow Lindor on Instagram, adding fuel to the rumors. The reported differences in their ideologies have been widely discussed on social media. Some Mets fans turned into sleuths while others refuted Puma's claims.Both Soto and Lindor are expected to be part of the team's leadership group for at least the next six years, until the latter's 10-year, $341 million contract runs out. Lindor has stated in the past that he would want to be named as the team's captain.However, as reported by Puma, Soto, in a late-season interview this year, complimented Starling Marte on his leadership skills and referred to him as the team's captain. David Wright was the last Mets captain back in 2018.Francisco Lindor and Jeff McNeil reportedly got into an altercationThe article claimed that Lindor and McNeil had a major spat after a defensive error during a June 20 game against divisional rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies. They lost 10-2 that night. The two reportedly had a standoff, but there was no physical altercation, unlike back in 2021, when Lindor shoved his teammate against a wall while heading to the clubhouse."After a defensive lapse on June 20 in Philadelphia, an angry Lindor at some point began verbally attacking McNeil, according to a source, leading to what was described as a tense standoff between the two," Puma wrote.That marked the Mets' seventh straight loss. They were the best team in the MLB, with a 45-24 record through June 12. Now the team seems to be looking for a change with McNeil on the trade block. Brandon Nimmo has already left Queens, being traded for Marcus Semien of the Texas Rangers.