Bo Bichette’s bat has gone missing at the worst possible time, and that’s why the opt-out in his Mets contract suddenly looks a lot less tempting.
The three-year, $126 million deal includes that escape hatch, but after the season he’s putting together, it does not appear likely he’ll use it. Bichette is in the middle of the worst offensive year of his career, a sharp drop from the production that made him a two-time All-Star and the American League hits leader in both 2021 and 2022 with the Toronto Blue Jays.
The numbers tell the story plainly. This season, Bichette is hitting .268/.314/.390 with 12 home runs and a .704 OPS, a far cry from the steady run of offense he delivered in Toronto. That downturn is part of why Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter included him among the top 25 most overpaid players in baseball.
"While he is still only 28 years old, Bichette is struggling through the worst offensive season of his career outside of an injury-plagued 2024 campaign," Reuter wrote. "The shift to third base has gone relatively smoothly (-2 DRS, 3 OAA), but his bat has always been what drives his value, and it has not even been league average."
The move from shortstop to third base may have played a role in the slump at the plate, even if Bichette hasn’t said as much. Defensively, the transition has been manageable. Offensively, it’s been a different story.
And that’s the key point: his value has always been tied to the bat, not the glove. With a $42 million AAV, the guarantee attached to the Mets deal looks a lot stronger than what he’d likely find on the open market.
For Bichette, sticking with the Mets in 2027 appears to make the most financial sense. Whether that ends up being the right move for the NL East club is a question that will have to wait.
In Other News...
Mets Roster Shuffle Just Created An Awkward Twist With The Cubs
A late-summer roster shuffle has tied the Mets and Cubs together in a way that feels more awkward than ordinary. Chicago claimed Gabriel Arias off waivers from the Mets to help shore up its infield depth after an injury left the club thin at shortstop, while New York moved quickly to fill the opening by bringing in Christopher Morel, a player with his own ties to the Cubs organization.
Arias is expected to be activated soon in Chicago, giving the Cubs another option at a position they had to reinforce in a hurry. For the Mets, the move is less about one player than about what comes next, as they continue to sort out Morels role for the rest of the season and see whether this swap turns into a useful piece of business or just another brief stop on a busy transaction wire. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Fans Finally Got A Citi Field Moment Worth Laughing At
Citi Field had its most memorable crowd interaction of the season when a raccoon was filmed reaching through a hole in the concrete to snatch peanuts from the stands during a Mets game. The clip spread quickly on social media and gave fans something to smile about in a year that has otherwise been defined by disappointment, uneven play and thinning attendance.
For a team searching for anything that feels a little lighter, the moment landed because it was so absurdly on-brand for a season that has been hard to enjoy. The raccoon did not fix the bigger issues around the Mets, but it did provide a rare bit of harmless theater at Citi Field, and for once, the punchline was coming from outside the dugout. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Just Got Pulled Into A Tarik Skubal Question Fans Will Debate
Tarik Skubal is already the kind of free-agent name that can turn a winter into a referendum on ambition, and the Mets have now been pulled into the middle of that conversation. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Mets and Dodgers are viewed as the two clubs most likely to make serious runs at the left-hander, a listing that immediately fits New Yorks usual profile as a team willing to spend when the market gets big.
For the Mets, the intrigue is as much about strategy as it is about fit. Skubal has also been tied to a possible return to Detroit, while his price tag and the possibility of a salary cap arriving after an expected MLB lockout could shape how aggressive every bidder really wants to be. Around the league, rumors of New Yorks interest often spark questions about whether the Mets are setting the market or simply being used to raise it, and that is the part fans will be debating until the bidding gets real. [Read more 🡒]