Lindor made sure to be there for his team’s pitch to Juan Soto, and threw down the gauntlet to Judge while he was at it.

After days upon weeks upon months of speculation, it’s nearly time for the Juan Soto sweepstakes to get down to brass tacks. We know of at least six teams who are set to meet with the 26-year-old superstar, while two more mystery teams lurk. All that’s left now is for everyone to make their best offer and let the best pitch (and fattest check) win.

The New York Mets are pulling out all the stops to make sure that theirs is that offer. We already knew that owner Steve Cohen would be there to spearhead things, and Cohen’s force of personality and very deep pockets do a lot of talking in their own right. But there’s no substitute for good, old-fashioned star power, and New York’s biggest star of all has taken some time out of his offseason to make sure he can sell Soto in person.

We’ve known for a while that Francisco Lindor had taken a keen interest in recruiting Soto to Queens. The two have been friends for a while, dating back to Soto’s time with the Washington Nationals, and Lindor wasn’t shy about taking his pitch to the media. So it’s no surprise that, when the Mets delegation landed in L.A. on Tuesday afternoon, Lindor was there, an X-factor that could swing this free agency — and puts a direct challenge at the feet of the New York Yankees’ own MVP finalist.

Francisco Lindor throws down gauntlet to Aaron Judge by joining Mets recruiting pitch for Juan Soto

TMZ, true to form, was at LAX awaiting the Mets’ arrival, and caught Lindor as he was walking through baggage claim. Lindor was purposefully diplomatic in the moment, saying only “I hope he makes the best decision for himself and his family.” But don’t get it twisted: His presence in Los Angeles speaks volumes, and puts a lot of pressure on his counterpart across town in the Bronx.

Lindor is one of the most magnetic personalities in the sport. He’s also coming off a season that made him an MVP finalist in the National League and included one of the most iconic moments of this year’s playoffs. He’s the embodiment of everything going right for the Mets right now, and he can personally guarantee that Soto will have an All-Star running mate to lean on throughout his contract should he sign with New York. Cohen’s money goes a long, long way, but sports history is littered with examples of superstars sealing the deal in the room.

Which begs the question: What does this mean for Judge? We know that Hal Steinbrenner, Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone will form at least part of the Yankees’ contingent whenever they meet with Soto, but until now there hasn’t been any indication that Judge is joining them. Granted, as Soto’s teammate for the past year, he can just shoot Soto a text if he wants to make his case. But, especially after falling flat in the World Series, Judge figures to have something to prove here, and being there in person would seem to be the quickest way of doing just that.