In a stunning move, the New York Mets reached an agreement with Bo Bichette on a three-year deal worth $126 million on Friday, league sources told The Athletic.
The move comes roughly 12 hours after the Mets missed out on Kyle Tucker. Bichette’s deal, which contains opt-out clauses after seasons one and two and does not include deferrals, is pending a physical.
Bichette, a two-time All-Star at shortstop, is expected to play third base for the Mets, a league source said. Brett Baty, who has spent most of his time with the Mets at third base, could see more action in left field moving forward.
The Mets were not publicly linked to Bichette. Meanwhile, their interest in Tucker was widely known. Bichette did not become a serious fit for the Mets until earlier this month, people familiar with their thinking said, when they started to meet with him.
The Philadelphia Phillies contended for Bichette’s services, meeting with him this week, with sources briefed on the videoconference saying both parties emerged with optimism. A marriage would have required the Phillies to shake up their core, including likely closing the door to free agent catcher J.T. Realmuto and trading third baseman Alec Bohm. They chose to pursue him anyway. Now, Bichette will be a division foe.
Bichette, the No. 2-ranked free agent on The Athletic’s Top 50 Big Board, is one of the best pure contact hitters in baseball. The 27-year-old views batting average as the most important hitting statistic, and his approach backs it up. The Florida native hit over .290 in six of his first seven big league seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, leading the American League in hits twice. He still finished near the big league leaders in hits in 2025 despite missing the final month of the regular season. Though his fielding has never ranked above average, at shortstop, his offensive contributions helped earn him multiple All-Star appearances and MVP votes.
Bichette sustained a right knee sprain while sliding into home plate at Yankee Stadium in early September. Bichette was sidelined through the Jays’ first two playoff rounds before ultimately returning for the World Series. He moved to second base on a clearly compromised knee and delivered the October moments that eluded him early in his career. A three-run homer in Game 7 appeared to be a crowning moment for Bichette until the Los Angeles Dodgers ultimately clawed back, erasing those runs to win the championship.
Bichette entered 2025 with much to prove and did exactly that. His 2024 campaign, plagued by injuries and poor performance, ended with a .225 average and minus-0.3 bWAR, both the lowest marks of his career. He rebounded to hit .311 in 2025, posted 3.5 WAR, and produced on baseball’s biggest stage. It set him up to be one of the most coveted bats in this year’s open market, though his free agency lingered into 2026.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal contributed to this report.
