Francisco Lindor of the Mets during a spring training game...

Francisco Lindor of the Mets during a spring training game against the Miami Marlins at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on March 1, 2021 in Jupiter, Florida. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca

JUPITER, Fla. — Francisco Lindor has it all — almost.

He recently had a daughter with his fiancee, Katia Reguero. He just started a new job that he loves, playing in his first (exhibition) game with the Mets on Monday, a quick 0-for-2 and four innings at shortstop against the Marlins. And he even launched his own shoe, the Lindor 1 with longtime sponsor New Balance, a feat achieved by select few baseball players.

The biggest missing piece of the puzzle of life, then, is the generational wealth and professional certainty that comes with a long-term contract extension.

"I mean, I’ve got to get married. That’s very important," Lindor said, smiling as always. "But knowing where is going to be home for the next however many years, it’s going to be huge. We’ll see. We’ll see how everything goes."

Lindor and the Mets have not begun those negotiations, but team president Sandy Alderson reiterated that he expects them to start "relatively soon."

One reason for the holdup, cited by both sides: They are getting to know each other. The Mets acquired Lindor from Cleveland less than two months ago. He has been in camp for only a week-plus.

They have a month until the Lindor-imposed Opening Day deadline for a new deal — Alderson was optimistic about talking beyond then, if necessary — so the urgency hasn’t necessarily hit yet.

"They can say great things about me," Lindor said, "and then I can show up to camp and be the worst person ever."

The Mets do not believe Lindor to be the worst person ever, and the familiarization process seems to have been productive.

During the weekend, Lindor had separate mid-workout conversations with owner Steve Cohen and his wife, Alex Cohen, his fellow Puerto Rican.

"Powerful woman and great heart," Lindor said. "Steve, talking to him is always fun. He’s a good person, a great character. He’s funny. His mindset is different from other people, and I like that. I like that he’s always got a good sense of humor, and seeing them and chatting with them, that’s what it’s all about. He signs my checks, so why not have a good relationship?"

The Mets have said nothing but good things about Lindor.

"There’s a lot more to the Lindor package than just his glove and his bat," Alderson said. "We’re seeing that demonstrated before the games start."

During extra infield practice Sunday — before the Mets’ formal workout —Lindor finished his work but stayed on the field to watch and coach J.D. Davis and Luis Guillorme, who were taking grounders at third base. After Davis muffed a couple of grounders, Lindor asked the person hitting them, assistant pitching coach Jeremy Accardo, to hit them less hard because Davis was working on his backhand.

As a player and a person, Lindor has brought "more than I expected," manager Luis Rojas said, in part because of his "natural leadership."

Rojas referenced Lindor’s actions Monday, hours before their first exhibition. He walked into the clubhouse at 7:30 a.m., typically a low-key environment, and riled everyone up.

"The ability is like you expect, the greatness," Rojas said. "But now his leadership skills, it’s been more than I expected. He just came into the clubhouse and he was just yelling, like, really loud," Rojas said. "And everyone was energized by it. I think his outgoingness, that’s the thing that’s really impressed me the most, because he’s done it in the best way you can imagine."

Other than the excitement of it being his first time playing in a Mets uniform, Lindor’s soft opening as the club’s shortstop Monday was unremarkable.

In his first at-bat, he grounded out to the pitcher. Two innings later, he lined out to leftfield. His only defensive chance was a grounder up the middle from Corey Dickerson, a rangy play that Lindor made look routine.

He’s about 35 more at-bats — and maybe a signature — away from being ready for the regular season.

"I just live life on a daily basis, but I’m living the dream," Lindor said. "And it feels pretty damn good."

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