Mets' Francisco Lindor, Javier Baez apologize for 'thumbs-down' controversy

New York Mets big-name acquisitions and underwhelming performers Francisco Lindor and Javier Baez would like to put the controversy sparked by the team's "thumbs-down" celebration in the past. As is often the case with such situations, the fans will have the final say about that. 

Ahead of Tuesday's home game against the Miami Marlins, both Lindor and Baez stood in front of cameras and offered apologies for the action that was a response to supporters booing the team at Citi Field.

"I didn’t mean to offend anybody," Baez said, per SNY. "This is something that I’ve done in the past against the other team. I did it in LA to the dugout. I might [have said] something wrong about how I was booing the fans, and I really meant to [say] like, 'Boo me now' — and not to the fans — to our dugout because I’ve done it with the other team and against other teams. 

"I’ve never seen the same fans and I didn’t say the fans are bad. I love the fans. But I just felt like we were alone. The fans obviously want us to win, and they pay our salary, like everybody says. But we want to win, too. The frustration got to us, and I didn’t mean to offend anybody, and if I did offend anybody, we apologize."

According to SNY, Lindor added: 

"It was to the dugout, the thumbs down. It was to the dugout. Thumbs down for me means the adversity we have gone through in this whole time. The negative things we have overcome. We did it. We went over it. However, it was wrong and I apologize to whoever I offended. It was not my intent to offend people. I can't go against the fans. I've never done it in my career.

"We play for the fans, like Javy said. Javy said we play for the fans and he's 100% right. For our teammates, for the front office, for our families, for the city. So with that being said, I apologize and it didn't look good on our part."

Both players also addressed the matter via Twitter, as did Mets owner Steve Cohen: