Not even 12 hours after missing out on Kyle Tucker, the New York Mets pivoted and signed Bo Bichette. The terms of the deal are three years, $126 million, with opt-outs after each of the deals.
Bichette gets 2 opt-outs. Deal is pending physical https://t.co/93abavRLvV
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 16, 2026
To say this came out of left field would be an understatement. Not only were the Mets focused on Tucker, but they were never really linked to Bichette at all. In fact, Bichette seemed ticketed to their NL East rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies, to play in their infield before this broke. As good a hitter as Bichette is, this signing brings a ton of questions about what's to come.
Mets play Bo Bichette at third base, who's out?
It's being reported that Bichette is going to play third base, a position he has never played before, for the Mets. We know Francisco Lindor will be the shortstop and that Marcus Semien will play second base. What's the plan beyond that in the infield? Look at all of the options the Mets have.
Mets Infield Options | Position(s) |
|---|---|
Brett Baty | 3B/2B |
Jorge Polanco | 1B/2B/3B |
Mark Vientos | 1B/3B |
Ronny Mauricio | 3B/SS/2B |
Luisangel Acuña | SS/2B |
The Mets essentially have five infielders for two spots — first base and DH. Jorge Polanco is going to play one of those spots, but what about the others? The Mets could demote Mauricio to Triple-A and Acuña is nothing more than a bench player at best, but Vientos, a player who broke out two years ago, is out of options and seemingly out of a position. Brett Baty, their third baseman as of yesterday, is also seemingly out of a position.
Might they play Baty at first base while using new addition, Jorge Polanco, at DH on most days? Could they trade Baty for a position of need (pitcher or outfield)? Could they use Baty in left field, a position he played sparingly in the minor leagues? Will they bet on a Vientos bounce-back or trade him for pennies on the dollar?
The Mets have all kinds of routes they can go, but what they're going to do from here is very unclear.
Can Bo Bichette play third base?
Beyond what the Mets should do next, the question of can Bichette even play third base should be asked. It was pretty clear most teams did not view Bichette as a shortstop, but is third base really the right pivot?
Bichette won't need as much range at the position, which is a good thing, but he ranked in the 36th percentile in arm strength this past season per Baseball Savant. Does he have the arm to play the position at an average level?
This is a very strange pivot for David Stearns, who made it clear that he aimed to improve the team's defense after a rough year in that department in 2025. Perhaps Bichette can prove to be a quality defender at the hot corner; only time will tell. What's clear is that the Mets needed his bat, and that took priority over any defensive concerns.
Here's how the Mets should proceed after signing Bichette.
How the Mets can win the offseason after Bichette signing
Trade for Freddy Peralta
Now that they have the big bat they desperately needed, the Mets ought to prioritize improving their starting rotation, which was their biggest weakness last season. They could sign a free agent like Framber Valdez, but doing so would require parting with two more draft picks and more international bonus money, which is probably unlikely. Trading for Freddy Peralta, though, feels more realistic.
It'd cost a lot, even with Peralta on an expiring contract, but he'd fill the ace spot in their rotation quite nicely, has familiarity with David Stearns, and wouldn't exactly break the bank prospect wise. Outside of a Tarik Skubal trade, which is certainly unlikely, I'm not sure there's a better pitcher the Mets can acquire than Peralta.
Trade for an outfielder
What this Bichette signing tells everyone is that the Mets have no interest in signing Cody Bellinger, who would've fit seamlessly on their roster. Knowing that Harrison Bader is the next-best outfielder after that, the best route for the Mets to take to improve their outfield would be in the trade market.
Maybe they can acquire an outfielder from the Boston Red Sox's surplus, like Jarren Duran or Wilyer Abreu. Perhaps they can convince the Minnesota Twins to part with Byron Buxton. Maybe they'll take a one-year gamble on Luis Robert Jr. and hope he thrives with a change of scenery. The Mets can play rookie Carson Benge in one outfield spot if they want, but they still need to add at least one proven outfielder to their roster.
Trade Brett Baty away to fill one of their needs
The person this deal impacts the most is Brett Baty, who appeared to be locked in as their starting third baseman as recently as this morning. Baty impressed particularly in the second half of this past season both offensively and defensively. What this means for his future is unclear, but he's probably most valuable in a trade.
Baty, a rising player with several years of cheap club control remaining, would most certainly be of interest to the Brewers and Red Sox in trades for their stars. He'd generate interest around the league as well.
The Mets could find ways to play Baty on most nights in some sort of super utility role, but trading him to fill one of the glaring needs could prove to be more appealing at this point.