Bo Bichette’s adjustment to New York has not been as simple as changing uniforms and taking a new at-bat routine. The Mets infielder admitted Monday that the move has taken a real toll on his ability to feel like himself, even as his recent surge suggests he’s beginning to settle in.
“I didn’t think coming in that it would feel that way,” he told Newsday Monday ahead of the Mets’ series finale against Atlanta. “But yeah, definitely [it’s hard to feel like yourself in a new environment]. I mean, it’s not like I’ve never struggled in comfortable areas before either, but yeah, I think all of it plays into me not being completely myself at the start of the year.”
That honesty helps explain the strange split around Bichette since he arrived. In Toronto, he was embraced with obvious emotion last week, and that reaction only sharpened when he broke down on camera Wednesday while reflecting on not being able to bring a championship there. On Thursday, Kevin Gausman even switched baseballs when Bichette came to the plate, giving the crowd another chance to show its appreciation for a player it has known since he was a teenager.
“It’s nice you know you meant a lot to people,” Bichette said then.
In New York, the reception has been much harsher. He has been booed and taunted at Citi Field, and he has also been asked to absorb the weight of David Stearns’ difficult offseason moves. Still, the player who arrived on a three-year, $126 million deal has kept grinding through the early-season frustration, even if the results lagged behind the quality of his contact.
Bichette came into Monday hitting .258 after climbing from .213, and over the 29 games since June 3 he was slashing .350/.373/.564. His expected batting average, even now, sits .073 higher than his actual mark, a reminder that the ball hasn’t always rewarded the way he’s been hitting it.
What has stood out, though, is how he has handled everything around him. Former manager Carlos Mendoza noticed it first, and interim manager Andy Green echoed the point last week.
“He really sacrificed for the team,” Green said last week. “He slid into shortstop when [Francisco] Lindor was out, slid into second base for an inning, slid back to third base. [He's] been a selfless teammate.”
That willingness to move around the infield fits the way Bichette has described himself. He pointed to the fact that he had already gone through similar stretches in his career, including the 2024 season that was limited by a calf strain and broken finger.
“I’m getting more comfortable, being more of myself,” said Bichette, who came into Monday slashing .350/.373/.564 in the 29 games since June 3 - hiking up his batting average from .213 to .258. “I think [hitting] instincts come from being fully immersed in the game and typically, when hitters struggle, they’re looking at themselves and trying to figure out what they can do better instead of playing the game.”
He said the position changes didn’t rattle him the way they might some players. Bichette, a career shortstop, had already moved to second base with the Blue Jays last year as they chased a title, and he said that experience helped him handle the Mets’ shifting plans.
“Doing it in the World Series the first time probably gave me the confidence,” he said of the position switches. Then, “I just wanted to get in the lineup however I could…It’s [about] doing whatever I can do.”
Bichette also said he has leaned on the people around him. Marcus Semien, who played with him in Toronto, helped shape his approach to the game, and he has grown close with several teammates in New York.
“I’ve grown very close to [Francisco] Alvarez and I’ve grown really close to the two rookies, A.J. [Ewing] and Carson (Benge) - they’re a good time.”
The bigger picture around Bichette remains unresolved. A trade at the deadline is unlikely, though not impossible, and his no-trade clause matters there. If he opts out after this season, the Mets would have to pay him, but his slow start has made it unclear whether another team would offer more than the $42 million he is set to make next season.
Even with that uncertainty hanging over him, Bichette said he is not treating the opt-out like an escape hatch.
“Right now, I’m working really hard to make sure my season ends the way I want it to,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any way where I could be in the mind frame of where my future is right now when I’m trying to be the best version of myself.”
For Bichette, that seems to be the point now: first figuring out how to be himself in a new place, and then trying to turn that version of himself into the best one again.
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New Yorks draft board gets thinner from there, too. The Mets will not have a second-round selection after the free-agent move that brought in Bo Bichette, which means their next crack at the class comes much later in the process. For a team trying to balance immediate roster upgrades with long-term pipeline health, the cost of that setup is already showing up in the shape of the 2026 draft. [Read more 🡒]