Mets' Sean Manaea one of many players who appreciate club's view on family values
Mets starting pitcher Sean Manaea reacts after closing out the top of the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 3 of the NLDS on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024 at Citi Field. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
By all accounts, Kalina Lindor was a hit at Sean Manaea’s November wedding.
She was the flower girl and busted out some serious dance moves as onlookers cheered, according to mom Katia’s Instagram account. And just a few days earlier, Kalina, now 4, was dancing some more — this time as Jose Iglesias serenaded her with “OMG” during her joint birthday party with little sister Amapola.
We’re not saying that two children brought Manaea back to Flushing — though frankly, no one should underestimate the Lindor girls — but there’s a case to be made about what it all represents.
“I thought it was a perfect fit,” Manaea said in his (re-)introductory news conference Monday, the result of his new three-year, $75 million contract.
“My wife [Talat] loved it on the family side . . . They do a lot of little things. I mean, we don’t have any kids yet, so [we haven’t had to use] the day care situation, but from what I’ve seen and been told, the day care stuff is really great, the communication between the wives and the organization has been incredible. I know Talat has said a lot of great things about them and they just take care of everything. When I’m at the field and you need tickets or something, it’s super-easy.”
Juan Soto, while certainly motivated to come to the Mets thanks to a history-making $765 million contract, said much of the same. The Mets promised to take care of his family and offered them a suite for their personal use. And when asked about it, owner Steve Cohen gave all the credit to his wife, Alex, who seemingly has made it a mission to ensure that wives and children are not treated as afterthoughts but as living, breathing members of this team.
For as cynical as anyone wants to be, that makes a lot of sense. It’s also working really, really well.
For years, we often have been presented the misogynistic caricature of the “WAG” — short for “wives and girlfriends” of professional players. It’s the same tired nonsense: They’re only after money and secondhand fame. “The Real Housewives,” but make it sports.
But the easy brushstroke of sexism belies reality. Though yes, these women have plenty of resources, they still have to bear so much familial responsibility in the months when their partners are traveling across the country, playing 162 games, all in the hopes of playing a few more in October.
They have lives, responsibilities, interests and needs that are independent of their husbands, and recognizing that and catering to that undeniably has been a significant draw.
In the case of the Mets, these women include a classical violinist (Katia Lindor), an environmental scientist (Tatiana McNeil), a pediatric nurse (Chelsea Nimmo) and a former paramedic (Talat Manaea). Manager Carlos Mendoza’s wife, Francis, is a former dentist who had to give up her career when the family emigrated from Venezuela.
Alex Cohen, a philanthropist and mother herself, was quick to see the value and importance in all that and acted accordingly. Children often are seen scurrying around the bowels of Citi Field before and after games, and the adults who accompany them aren’t always just wives but extended family and friends. It’s a culture shift, and a perception shift, too.
Let’s face it, it certainly didn’t look good when, in 2015, former owner Jeff Wilpon was sued for allegedly discriminating against an unmarried, pregnant employee (the two sides agreed to dismiss the lawsuit after a private settlement).
Of course, it’s always going to be about more than that. There’s the interest in the families, yes, but also the fact that the Mets now are viewed as a functional organization. And to hear Manaea tell it, there wasn’t too much internal debate when the team approached him about a reunion.
“There were definitely a couple teams that were interested, but I don’t think it really made it too far past the talking stages,” Manaea said.
He appreciated that pitching coach Jeremy Hefner allowed him to experiment last year — something that culminated in a midseason arm-slot change that elevated his results — and the camaraderie in the clubhouse also was a major draw. To wit, he invited a bunch of Mets to his wedding and has been working out regularly with Pete Alonso in Tampa.
“It’s fun being on an adventure and seeing new cities, being in new organizations, making new friends, stuff like that,” Manaea said. “I think at a certain point, it’s kind of nice to settle down and have some roots . . . Me and my wife are very excited for that, just knowing where we’re going to be for the next three years, which is incredible, and grateful for that.”
Family. Roots. (And sure, a whole lot of money.) It’s the new New York Mets, and it’s a pitch that’s working.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
