After losing out on Kyle Tucker, the Mets made a big splash on January 16. New York will reportedly sign All-Star infielder Bo Bichette to a three-year deal, adding one of the best contact hitters over the last five seasons.
A Look at Bichette
From 2021 through the end of 2025, only six players have had more total hits than Bo Bichette (806) in that span. That’s how good Bichette has been at not just making contact on a consistent basis but also producing at a high level.
Bichette, a second-round pick back in 2016, spent his entire pro career with the Blue Jays, the team that drafted him. He came up with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., as the two both made their MLB debuts in 2019. And since then, Bichette has been an electric hitter.
The 27-year-old has been adept at making solid contact, catching up to fastballs (he sported a sub-16% Whiff% on fastballs each of the last three years), and taking the ball to all fields. Not to mention, Bichette has home-run power; he hit a career-best 29 in 2021 and had three straight 20+ home run seasons between 2021 and 2023.
Bichette likely would have had a fourth had he not sustained a knee injury in early September 2025 that ended his regular season. The new Met finished 2025 with 18 home runs and 181 hits over 139 games, the latter of which was second-most in the American League.
The 27-year-old was once a stolen base threat. Bichette stole 25 in 2021, a career high. However, he swiped 13 in 2022 and hasn’t hit double digits in that category since.
Defensively, Bichette has spent virtually his entire pro career as a shortstop. He spent limited time at second base with Low-A Lansing nearly a decade ago. However, he did play at second base in the 2025 World Series after he recovered from a knee injury sustained in September.
Per reports, including ESPN and The New York Times, the Mets signed Bo Bichette to a three-year deal worth $126MM.
Analysis
Less than a day after Kyle Tucker spurned the Mets for the Dodgers, New York adds a right-handed bat to not only replace Pete Alonso but also give the team a notable piece to add after losing many impact players in the winter.
It was believed in early January that Bichette was asking for a deal over $300M, one that would have made him among the highest-paid middle infielders, alongside Francisco Lindor, Corey Seager, and Xander Bogaerts. Instead, he’ll get a short-term deal, albeit one with hefty money attached to it.
Additionally, the move will have after-effects.
One, Bichette sets himself up nicely for 2026, as he may very well hit behind Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto, the 1/2 combo atop the Mets’ lineup for 2025. Given that, one would like to think Bichette would get some favorable pitchers to swing at, which could mean a numbers boost as the one Pete Alonso saw in 2025.
Two, what does this mean for Brett Baty? The Mets previously acquired Marcus Semien in November. While Semien struggled to hit consistently well in 2025, his defensive game is sound. Lindor is the team’s starting shortstop, which would leave third base open for Bichette. Reports from the New York Post and the New York Times indicate that Bichette will play third.
Baty played some left field in the Minors. He’s never played a game at first, where Jorge Polanco is expected to receive time.
Third, the Phillies were reportedly heavily in on Bichette. Will Philadelphia pivot somewhere else, or keep their infield, which includes Bryson Stott at second and Alec Bohm at third, intact for 2026?
Check out more of our MLB coverage.