NEW YORK -- With the World Series set to begin next week, Bo Bichette has a notable decision on his hands. Within five days of the Fall Classic ending, Bichette must decide whether to opt out of the remaining two seasons on his three-year, $126 million contract.
Why exactly would Bichette do that? Why would he not? Let’s dig in.
Reasons for opting out
There are two primary reasons why Bichette might want to opt out of his deal. One is lifestyle; if he wishes to move on from New York, Bichette could chalk his move from Toronto up to an error in judgment and simply tear it to pieces. Another is competitiveness; if he believes the Mets won’t be a playoff team in 2027, Bichette could look elsewhere.
But Bichette has never given any indication that he follows those lines of thought. To the contrary, he recently said he believes the Mets’ young core has what it takes to compete.
“The way I look at it is, I think there’s no doubt this team is going to be better next year,” Bichette said in August. “I really believe that. There’s still a lot of talent in this room, a lot of young talent that’s really hungry, combined with guys that have been around who have done a lot of great things in this game. And then on top of that, typically when you have a season like this, people show up a little bit more motivated. So I think that this group is going to be well prepared to be better next year.”
Furthermore, Bichette recently told the New York Post that his wife, Alexis, “loves living” in the city and that he enjoys life there, too.
“It’s a comfortable situation for us,” Bichette said. “As tough as it is to play in New York, I think there is something special about having that type of expectation on you, something about trying to climb that mountain.”
Outside of lifestyle or competitive factors, Bichette’s only reason for tearing up his contract would be if he believes he can find significantly more money on the open market. There’s some merit to that argument, with a significant caveat. If Bichette opts out, he will become arguably the best infielder available.
A year ago, the Phillies reportedly offered Bichette close to $200 million over eight seasons, but he turned it down knowing a three-year, $126 million contract could set him up to make significantly more than $200 million over that same eight-year period. While Bichette probably wouldn’t approach a $200 million offer in free agency this time around, it’s certainly plausible he could eclipse $100 million. And $100 million is more than the $86 million remaining on his deal.
Reasons for opting in
Despite the argument above, it makes little financial sense for Bichette to decline the final two years on his contract. His deal’s $42 million average annual value is tied for sixth-highest in Major League history, behind only Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Tucker, Juan Soto, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. (It’s worth noting that the Mets under Steve Cohen have given out four of those six contracts. The Dodgers have inked the other two.)
Bichette did not play like a $42 million player in 2026, and it’s debatable if he was at that level even before signing his deal; at the time, Bichette’s career .806 OPS ranked 39th among active Major League players. In 2026, Bichette’s career OPS fell to .788, which now ranks 53rd among active players. Even in a thin free-agent market for hitters, it would be next to impossible for Bichette to come anywhere close to a $42 million AAV with a new team.
Plus, there’s the fact that Bichette has another opt-out after 2027. If he returns to the Mets now, plays well and then opts out a year from now at age 29, Bichette could set himself up for more total money than he would receive in any other scenario. Or, if he likes what’s happening in New York, he could simply play out his entire contract and become a free agent again at age 30 -- $86 million richer than he is today. In those scenarios, there are very few bad outcomes for Bichette.
For all those reasons, Bichette appears likely to opt into his contract when the time comes early next month. Until it’s official after the World Series, however, at least some uncertainty will continue to exist.