The Mets missed out on the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes, and moved quickly to snag another top free agent.
The New York Mets were one of the teams hoping to land Kyle Tucker, but after the Los Angeles Dodgers swooped in, the Mets had to pivot and look elsewhere in free agency. It was clear that the miss didn’t slow down President of Baseball Operations David Stearns in his aggressive offseason push following a disappointing 2025 campaign. New York quickly moved to land former Toronto Blue Jays infielder Bo Bichette, who they signed to a three-year, $126 million deal. The contract includes opt-out clauses after the first and second seasons, per ESPN.
Bichette slashed 311/.357/.483 with 18 homers, 94 RBI, and a .840 OPS. He was a valuable member to the Blue Jays’ World Series run and bolsters the Mets infield – almost too much so. It’s now a bit crowded Francisco Lindor, Marcus Semien, and newly signed Jorge Polanco, but New York will clearly find room for one of the best sluggers in baseball. However, it might be at a different position, with the reported plan to put Bichette at the hot corner.
Here is the full story from Mets Roundtable writer on Bichette signing with New York and what he brings to the lineup.
The strategy for New York was clear in their targeting of free agents – star talent over need or fit. That drove both the pursuit of Tucker and later Bichette, successfully. They beat out rivals Philadelphia Phillies in order to do so as well. However, one of the areas the club wants to improve is their run prevention, and neither Tucker nor Bichette exactly fit that bill, with Bichette being a mediocre shortstop last year. What they signed Bichette for was his bat, and the two-time All-Star certainly touts that.