Francisco Lindor thrives, Juan Soto underwhelms as Mets' baserunning comes under Starling Marte's scrutiny

Following an active offseason, where the New York Mets front office made several additions to the roster, the players are sweating it out in the team's Spring Training complex at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie.

While the pitchers and catchers reported to training on February 14, the rest of the players joined the team for full-squad workouts on February 17. There was a peculiar sight during one of the workouts as veteran outfielder Starling Marte put on his coaching hat.

The All-Star slugger was seen judging his Mets teammates rounding the third base. The video posted by SNY TV on Instagram was captioned:

"Starling Marte coached/judged the Mets rounding third base today at drills during Spring Training."

Luisangel Acuna, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, Francisco Lindor, Bretty Batty, and others received a thumbs up as a sign of appreciation from Marte, acting as the third base coach. However, Marte wasn't impressed by catcher Francisco Alvarez and incoming superstar Juan Soto's attempt.

While the two-time All-Star gave a thumbs down to Alvarez, followed by a "Booooo!" Marte raised his hands in the air in exasperation after Soto went past him.

The 36-year-old was also unsure about a few players' baserunning as he didn't give them either a thumbs or a thumbs down.

Starling Marte reveals trade talks with Mets after Juan Soto signing

The veteran outfielder, who has been with the Mets since 2022 is the active leader in stolen bases with 352 steals. Following the addition of Juan Soto for a $765 million deal in the offseason, Starling Marte's future with the team has been uncertain.

Marte discussed that the Mets were honest about their plans to trade him this offseason.

“They spoke to me before the [Soto] signing and then after the signing they reiterated that they would try to move me. At the end of the day, they were very clear, very honest with me up front,” Marte said on Sunday. “They obviously want the best for this team, but also the best for my future. So they were really helpful and really transparent about the situation.”

Starling Marte is with the team in Port St. Lucie and although his future with the team is uncertain, the veteran All-Star is willing to take up any role the Mets want him to help the team improve after their NLDS run last year.