The Mets’ pivot after losing out on the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes was as swift as it was unexpected.
Less than 15 hours after Tucker signed a four-year, $240 million contract with the Dodgers, New York agreed to a three-year, $126 million contract with Bo Bichette, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. The deal reportedly includes two opt-outs.
There were no reports publicly linking the Mets to Bichette. According to Will Sammon of The Athletic (subscription required), Bichette did not become a serious fit for the Mets until earlier this month.
Bichette drastically changes the complexion of the Mets’ new-look roster, and the move seems likely to cause ripple effects over the next few weeks as the baseball calendar careens towards Spring Training.
We addressed four remaining questions facing the Mets in the wake of Bichette’s shocking deal.
How will Bichette handle third base?
At the onset of the offseason, much of the intrigue surrounding Bichette’s free agency concerned his position: Would teams view him as a shortstop or a second baseman? The Mets did not seem like a possible landing spot for Bichette because both of those positions are occupied in Queens: one via Francisco Lindor and the other via Marcus Semien, acquired in the one-on-one swap for Brandon Nimmo in December.
So, the Mets thought of something else entirely.
As MLB Network insider Jon Heyman reported, the 27-year-old Bichette is expected to play third base with New York.
It's first worth noting that Bichette does not grade as a strong defensive shortstop; if he did, he'd probably have signed to play shortstop somewhere. Last season, Bichette was worth -13 outs above average, tied for the second-worst total in the Majors. By Statcast's fielding run value metric, he has recorded just one season with a positive FRV, and that came during the pandemic-shortened season in 2020.
Bichette hasn't played much second base, either. In fact, he had not played a single inning at second base in the Majors before a knee injury forced him to switch positions in the World Series.
So how might Bichette fit at third base? A lot of this is unknown: He's never played a professional inning at third base. (It's also worth noting here that the Mets signed Jorge Polanco to play a whole lot of first base, even though Polanco has just one pitch of professional experience at the position.)
But back to Bichette: His arm strength graded out in the 36th percentile of MLB last season. As Eno Sarris of The Athletic first pointed out, that's the same arm strength of Alex Bregman, one of the premier defensive third basemen. Much like shortstops moving to second base, there's also plenty of precedent when it comes to shortstops sliding to their right. Last season, Carlos Correa picked up third base after being traded back to the Astros, though Correa -- a Platinum Glove winner in 2021 -- has a far better defensive track record than Bichette does.
What happens with Brett Baty?
Baty’s long-awaited breakout season became one of the biggest bright spots for the Mets last year. He seized the everyday third-base job and set career highs across the board, including 18 home runs and 3.1 bWAR. He also worked hard to become an above-average defender, accumulating +4 OAA at third base across the last two seasons.
It sure looked like Baty, a 2019 first-round pick and top-100 prospect, had finally cemented himself as a key piece to the future -- and the present. In November, David Stearns admitted as much, saying that Baty is "probably someone we would pencil in for significant third base time next year."
But things change fast. In the last two months, the Mets have added three veteran infielders, a glut that could squeeze Baty out of playing time. The Mets could certainly still hold onto Baty, perhaps guarding against the possibility of Bichette opting out after the 2026 season. According to Heyman, the Mets envision Baty playing all over the diamond in 2026. Perhaps that includes first base, where Baty could be somewhat of a fail-safe. Or maybe he will see time in left field, helping fill a glaring hole that the Mets are yet to address. Baty has played a total of 30 games in the outfield across his Minor League career.
Or, the Mets could decide to trade Baty, who might be an attractive trade chip; he's entering his age-26 season with four more years of club control. In addition to Baty, the Mets also have Mark Vientos, Luisangel Acuña, and Ronny Mauricio on the 40-man roster. Right now, barring a position switch, there aren't enough at-bats to go around.
What do they do about the outfield?
One of the main reasons that the Mets were so aggressive in their pursuit of Kyle Tucker -- ultimately offering a four-year, $220 million deal -- was because of the positional fit. Though primarily a right fielder, Tucker would have filled a pressing need in left field, left vacant after the team traded Nimmo and Jeff McNeil earlier this offseason. Right now, the Mets have just four outfielders on their 40-man roster.
Feinsand reported that the Mets still can't be ruled out as a possibility to sign Cody Bellinger, the best remaining free-agent outfielder. But Bellinger's camp is seeking a seven-year deal, which doesn't align with the sort of short-term contracts that president of baseball operations David Stearns has offered to the majority of New York's top targets.
Perhaps outfield help will come internally, whether from Baty or someone like Carson Benge -- the organization's No. 2 prospect and No. 21 overall, per MLB Pipeline.
Benge, a first-round pick in the 2024 Draft, traversed three levels of the Minors last season and finished the year at Triple-A. It sure seems like he'll make his MLB debut at some point in 2026, his age-23 season. Stearns has stressed that the organization wants to make sure that younger players have the opportunity to make an impact at the Major League level. Beyond Benge, that could also include Jett Williams (the organization's No. 3 prospect, No. 30 overall) and AJ Ewing (the organization's No. 7 prospect), each with outfield experience.
Or, maybe there’s a match to be had via trade. Earlier this offseason, The Athletic (subscription required) reported that the Mets were interested in Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar. Speculatively, perhaps they could reignite discussions with the White Sox over Luis Robert Jr., who was a target at last year's Deadline.
What about the rotation?
Starting pitching became the Mets' biggest weakness last summer, as New York saw its postseason aspirations slip away. At the moment, the Mets haven't brought in any external reinforcements. That doesn't mean the unit won't be better in 2026. The Mets should benefit from a full season of Nolan McLean, while Jonah Tong, Brandon Sproat, and even Christian Scott should contribute in some fashion.
Still, there are additions that could be made.
The Mets are one of three teams reported to have met with left-hander Framber Valdez, a legitimate frontline starter with a career 3.36 ERA. Since 2021, Valdez has thrown more innings (902 1/3) than all but four starting pitchers while tallying the ninth-most fWAR (18.3) among that group.
On the trade market, the Mets could be well positioned to deal from their glut of infielders. They have been linked to Brewers ace Freddy Peralta, who will be a free agent after the 2026 season; Peralta's 2.70 ERA was seventh best among qualified starting pitchers in 2025. The Nationals are likewise listening on left-hander MacKenzie Gore, but controllable starting pitchers have proven to demand a large prospect haul this offseason, and Gore won't reach free agency until 2028. The elephant in the room is Tarik Skubal, though it's still a longshot that the Tigers trade the game's best pitcher, even as the two sides are bracing for an arbitration hearing.