Color us shocked that Bo Bichette and the New York Mets are playing quality baseball when their season is all but officially over.
Bichette went 1-for-4 with an RBI and two walks in Thursday’s thrilling 15-14 victory over the Marlins, continuing what’s been a strong six-week stretch for both the veteran infielder and his troubled club. He’s hitting .295 with six home runs, 20 RBIs, and an .875 OPS since August 1, and the Mets are 21-13 in that span.
Too little, far too late. The Mets entered Friday at 68-78, and their “tragic number” sits at five games. In other words, they could realistically be officially eliminated from playoff contention by the start of Monday’s series against Pete Alonso and the Orioles.
Fittingly, Bichette will need to make the same decision that Alonso did last winter and decide whether he wants to opt out and hit the open market. Bichette is due $84 million over the next two seasons, though that comes with a $5 million buyout if he exercises the opt-out clause.
“If he chooses to stick with his salary of $42 million a year — by every measure a top-five salary in the sport — no one could blame him, particularly with an early slump dragging down his seasonlong numbers,” ESPN’s Jeff Passan wrote on Thursday.
Should the New York Mets want Bo Bichette to exercise his opt-out and test free agency?
Passan predicted that Bichette will opt out, though he believes it’ll be a “coin flip.” We’re not sure why the two-time All-Star would pass on a guaranteed $42 million, especially with a likely work stoppage looming in December. He doesn’t need to worry about securing the bag when he’s already done so.
The same goes for Passan’s comment that Bichette will have the “trickiest” opt-out decision of any potential free agent. Have we been watching the same player? Bichette is hitting .265 with 16 home runs, 73 RBIs, 24 doubles, and a .716 OPS in nearly 570 plate appearances. Those numbers are what you’d want from a No. 6 hitter on a two-year, $30 million contract, not a middle-of-the-lineup bat hoping to average $40 million per season.
The Cubs gave Alex Bregman a five-year, $175 million deal last winter, and he was coming off a far greater season. So why would Bichette want to take the risks that come with free agency? Even without the fear of a lockout, that’d be an absurdly dangerous and foolish move.
Frankly, the Mets should want to part ways with every highly priced veteran player left on the roster. Even the Soto deal is looking concerning in hindsight because of how disastrous the last two years have been. Bichette leaving with only a $5 million buyout would be excellent news for an organization desperately needing to press the reset button.
None of this is against Bichette on a personal level, and he’s been far better in the second half. The best move that he could make is the exact opposite of what the Mets should want to happen, and there’s no real middle ground; his full no-trade clause would prevent the Mets from eating part of his contract and shipping him to the Rockies or Angels without his permission.
But best of luck to Bichette if he wants to explore free agency again, because we’d be surprised if a contender felt he was even worth $100 million in new money.
Add us as a preferred source on Google