WASHINGTON - Bo Bichette’s Mets future is still hanging in the balance, but the players around him are making their case loud and clear.
Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto both said they want Bichette back next season, even after what has been the roughest full year of his career. Bichette can choose to opt out of his deal with New York this winter and test free agency, walking away from a $42 million salary for next year in exchange for a $5 million buyout. That option is there, but the expectation remains that he’ll likely stay put.
Still, the decision is his, and the Mets know the possibility exists that Sunday’s loss to the Nationals could be his last game in their uniform.
Lindor didn’t hesitate when asked what he thinks comes next.
“I think he’s going to be 10 [times] better than what he was this year,” Lindor said. “He’s a really good hitter, very unique hitter. He’s going to be even better year two playing third base, and I know he’s got a lot of fire in him.”
Soto echoed the same confidence, pointing to Bichette’s ability to lengthen and deepen the middle of the lineup.
“In the lineup, you want a guy that is like Bo,” Soto added. “He can drive the ball everywhere on the field.
He can drive some guys in. I think it’s gonna be special.
A tough year, his first year in New York. It’s always hard, but I think it’s gonna be better for him in the next couple years.”
The numbers tell the story of a season that started badly before turning around. Bichette arrived after a career year with Toronto, where he hit .311 with a .840 OPS in 2025 and came up just short of a World Series title. But his first two months with the Mets were a grind: through his first 61 games, he hit .213 with a .570 OPS.
Then came the shift. Starting with a four-hit game in Seattle on June 3, Bichette looked more like himself over the final stretch, batting .289 with a .784 OPS across his last 99 games.
Even with that early slide, Bichette still shapes up as one of the most attractive position players on the market if he does decide to opt out. That’s the lure: the chance to cash in or land a fresh start elsewhere. The catch is whether another team would really be willing to meet the kind of money or term it would take to pull him away, especially with a lockout looming.
If Bichette chooses to stay, he’ll remain under contract with the Mets for one more year and hold a player option for the following offseason. That route would keep him in a place he’s already getting more comfortable and give him another chance to build on what he learned in New York.
He also saw enough from the club’s young core down the stretch to believe the Mets can still be on the rise next season, even after finishing 74-88 in 2026.
“I think I’ve always desired to play for a manager like him,” Bichette said. “So, yeah. It definitely plays a role.”
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