With Bichette off the board, the pressure is on these teams

Bo Bichette is a Met.

Did you see that coming?

Maybe finding out on Thursday night that they fell short in the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes made the Mets just antsy enough to take the plunge on Bichette the very next day. Or maybe it’s just a terrific addition for a team whose fans have spent most of their offseason waiting for their team to make a big move. Either way, Bichette is going to bolster this lineup in 2026 and, depending on whether he uses the first of two opt-outs, after that.

Bichette doesn't solve all of the Mets' problems, though. That's why, even with him in the fold, the pressure remains very much on owner Steve Cohen, president of baseball operations David Stearns and the rest of the front office. But Flushing is not the only place where the spotlight is shining brightly right now. Here are four teams -- including those same Mets -- who are under pressure in the wake of the Bichette deal.

Mets

Yeah, we’ll start with the team that actually got him. Bichette, obviously, makes the Mets better: He’s a really good player! He’s a terrific hitter, and one who is actually improving in the contact department, combining a low strikeout rate with an OBP that in 2025 was the highest of his career. He’ll fit in wonderfully as a right-handed bat behind Juan Soto in the lineup, filling some of the void left by the departure of Pete Alonso.

But the concern is not about Bichette’s bat. It’s about his glove. Theoretically, the former shortstop should be able to play third base, but that’s still theoretical: He has never played third base in his professional career. (And remember, fellow new Met Jorge Polanco, signed to man first base, will be playing a new position as well.) Putting Bichette at third base means Brett Baty may see more time in left field, a position that is not his natural one, either. (That is, unless the Mets still have a move for an outfielder up their sleeves.)

A big part of the thrust of the Mets’ offseason was supposed to be an improvement of their run prevention, particularly their defense. This move does not address that; it may actually make it worse. How will the Mets adjust? What will they figure out?

Blue Jays

Oh, the Blue Jays' offseason had started so, so well. They spent big on a top starter in Dylan Cease. They brought in Tyler Rogers and Cody Ponce to further fortify the pitching staff. They surprised everyone by signing NPB slugger Kazuma Okamoto. But it still felt like they had one more big move to make -- perhaps even more than one.

Instead, they’ve now missed out on both Tucker and Bichette. Losing Bichette stings quite a bit because he, of course, had been a lifelong Jay, one of the young players (sons of ’90s hitting stars, no less!) who represented the future of this organization -- and a break from the past. The Jays arguably are still a bat away from where they need to be, but the options are dwindling fast. Cody Bellinger is still out there, but if the Jays can't pry him away from the Yankees, Toronto might suddenly have some concerns with its lineup.

This is still a really good team, the favorite in what looks like a grueling division. But after coming that close to winning a World Series -- several times! -- it felt like they were truly flooring it to get over the hump this offseason. They’re better. But they’re not quite what Jays fans were dreaming they might be.

Phillies

We’re all getting older, but no team is running out of time faster than the Phillies. This team is good, very good, but it is also old, and it is only going to have so many more opportunities before it becomes too old. That’s why they were seen as such a logical landing spot for both Tucker and Bichette: The two were short-term upgrades for a team that is, understandably, only thinking about the short term.

Instead, both of those short-term upgrades went to the exact teams the Phillies are trying to beat. The Dodgers are the gold standard in the National League, and the Mets are forever a rival in the NL East. It’s particularly painful because the Phillies seemed to think they were close to having a Bichette deal done. (Something Phillies fans will likely remind him of at Citizens Bank Park a few times this year.)

It's not clear who, if anyone, the Phillies can bring in now who would be a difference-maker. Re-signing catcher J.T. Realmuto was the obvious immediate move, but he is coming off a rough season. Can the Phillies get creative and upgrade anywhere else? Or is this the team they're going to roll with on Opening Day?

• Plan B(ellinger)? Focus shifts with Bichette, Tucker off board

Yankees

The Bellinger drama (or lack thereof, one supposes) just intensified. Yankees fans are already frustrated with the team’s lack of big moves this offseason, and the standoff between the team and their All-Star outfielder now has even larger stakes.

The Yankees are supposed to be the team swooping in at the last minute and swiping guys, not the Mets. If the Yankees lose out on Bellinger, what in the world are they going to do?

It may be strange that a division rival losing one of its best players may put more pressure on the Yankees than any other team in baseball. But they can’t lose Bellinger now …

Can they?