The New York Mets acquired Bo Bichette for exactly this reason. Come Opening Day, Bichette will provide the ultimate protection for Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto in the lineup. Lindor, who will hit leadoff and set the table for the Mets, is coming off another MVP-caliber season in which he finished 10th in the National League. Soto, a year removed from a $765 million contract, should have far less pressure on his shoulders in 2026.
Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The New York Mets Opening Day lineup is loaded, and looks much different with Bo Bichette at the No. 3 spot.
- The Mets gain is the Blue Jays loss, as they couldn't keep Bichette this winter – and it shows.
- The Blue Jays' decision to pursue other roster upgrades over retaining their former star could haunt them as they face a tougher road without his established production.
The Mets gain was the Blue Jays loss. There was always a good chance Bichette left Toronto after their World Series run – and better he join a National League team than one of the Jays' rivals, like the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox – but that loss could sting a little extra on Opening Day.
Mets Opening Day lineup: What purpose does Bo Bichette serve?
The Mets Opening Day lineup isn't all that complicated, especially at the top. Carlos Mendoza wants his best hitters to get as many opportunities at the dish as possible, which is why he starting with his three NL MVP candidates.
Position | Player |
|---|---|
SS | Francisco Lindor |
LF | Juan Soto |
3B | Bo Bichette |
1B | Jorge Polanco |
CF | Luis Robert Jr. |
DH | Brett Baty |
2B | Marcus Semien |
RF | Carson Benge |
C | Francisco Alvarez |
The Mets will face off against the defending NL Cy Young champion Paul Skenes. With Bichette, the Mets now have reliable protection for the top of their lineup, specifically Lindor and Soto. It will be impossible to pitch around those two with Bo lurking behind them.
What the Blue Jays are missing in Bo Bichette
While Toronto feels confident in their replacement for Bichette, Kazuma Okamoto, he does not offer the same power at the third base position, nor the pedigree. The Blue Jays know better than most what Bichette is capable of when healthy. In 2021, for example, Bichette played in 159 games and had a 5.9 bWAR – his best as a professional – with a .298/.343/.484 slash line. Last season, Bichette played in 139 games with a 3.5 bWAR. Health did become an issue late in the year, though, and Bo wasn't able to contribute as much as he wanted in Toronto's World Series run. But when Bichette faced the Dodgers, he had a moment to remember.
Bo Bichette turned teams down because he wanted to be drafted by Toronto.
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) November 2, 2025
"The Blue Jays were the top team that I wanted to go to.”
After nine years with the franchise, he hit a 3-run HR off Shohei Ohtani to put them up in Game 7 of the World Series.
pic.twitter.com/hZ6A9T2V0a
You see, in that big third inning for Toronto, Shohei Ohtani intentionally walked Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to get to Bichette, who hit fourth behind the Dominican star. Bichette then made Ohtani pay, pimping a three-run homer to give the Blue Jays the lead in Game 7. Now that Bichette is gone, that's something the Blue Jays lineup is lacking. Addison Barger, currently projected to hit cleanup this season, isn't that type of player.
Why the Blue Jays let Bo Bichette leave in MLB free agency
The Blue Jays wanted to re-sign Bichette at the beginning of the offseason. President of baseball operations Ross Atkins said as much. However, they only had so much money to play with, and Bichette signed a loaded three-year, $126 million deal with the Mets. That's essentially over $42 million per season. There's a downside to losing Bichette, absolutely, but replacing him with Okamoto for a four-year, $60 million deal isn't that much of a downgrade. There was also only so much money to play with after Vlad Jr. signed his $500 million extension before the season.
Not to mention, the Blue Jays were able to fortify other parts of the roster with some of the money they would've been forced to give Bichette, like starting pitcher. Toronto signed Dylan Cease to a seven-year, $210 million deal.
Losing Bichette will sting for the Blue Jays, but they had their reasons. As for the Mets, they'll be holding their breath Bichette transitions well enough defensively to a new position at third base.