Bo

Bichette

No boos Monday. Bichette drove in a run on a fielder’s choice in the first, and then singled home a run in the fifth. The long-timer Blue Jay has not had much success in his first four games as a Met as seen in a .105 average and slugging percentage, but there’s very little reason to think Bichette won’t be just fine in 2026.

We wonder if Bichette is a little too worried about his defensive play right now, because it’s really not like him to rack up eight strikeouts in three games like this. Last year, he never had consecutive games in which he struck out more than once. Now he’s started off three, two and three and picked up just one hit in the process. He might be in line for an early day off this week against the Cardinals. The Mets need to get Mark Vientos a start one of these days anyway.

The Mets claimed Bruján off waivers from the Twins in January, but he did not win a roster spot. That means Bo Bichette will serve as the backup shortstop this season, and Jared Young has made the team as a hitter off the bench.

Bichette manufactured all of New York’s runs in this one, scalding a two-run double against Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara in the third inning before taking top pitching prospect Robby Snelling deep in the seventh. It was his first round-tripper of the spring. The 28-year-old will make the transition to third base in his Mets debut and will be a top-10 fantasy option at shortstop in drafts this spring.

It’s way too early to draw any firm conclusions, but the social media chatter hasn’t been overly positive as Bichette transitions to the hot corner in his Mets debut. His defense will be picked apart throughout spring training but there are few reservations from an offensive standpoint, which is the primary concern for fantasy managers. New York has already confirmed that he won’t take over at shortstop temporarily while Francisco Lindor recovers from a hamate injury. The other notable developments here are fellow offseason acquisition Marcus Semien in the leadoff spot with Juan Soto heading over to left field. Here is the full lineup: Semien (2B), Soto (LF), Bichette (3B), Tyrone Taylor (CF), Ronny Mauricio (SS), MJ Melendez (RF), Austin Barnes (C), Jose Rojas (1B) and Chris Suero (DH).

The order, assuming Francisco Lindor is healthy enough to play on Opening Day, would be Lindor, Juan Soto batting second, and then Bichette hitting third. Presumably, Jorge Polanco would follow Bichette in the cleanup spot. It seems likely that Bichette will get plenty of RBI opportunities batting behind Soto, should this order come to fruition.

Bichette will make $42 million per year, with opt outs after each season, and he gets a full no-trade clause. The Mets intend to deploy Bichette at third base, a position he’s never played before as a pro. That’ll likely result in Brett Baty logging outfield time, though he should remain very much a part of the Mets’ plans. Bichette is a little weaker of a fantasy bet in Citi Field than he would have been in Philly or back in Toronto, but hitting next to Juan Soto in the top-third of the order is still pretty nice. He’s a borderline top-10 fantasy shortstop.

The deal includes opt-outs after each season. The quick response from the Mets after missing out on Kyle Tucker sees them bringing in Bichette for third base. That seemed like it was going to be former top prospect Brett Baty’s spot, but he could now get some work at first and DH; he still ought to be in the lineup against righties one way or the other. Bichette appeared Philadelphia-bound until the Mets stepped up their offer following the Tucker sweepstakes. Perhaps the Phillies could now use their spending power to make a run at lefty Framber Valdez.

Gelb asserts that “The club’s interest in Bichette is legitimate,” and there are some who think the hiring of Don Mattingly, Bichette’s bench coach in Toronto, makes Philadelphia the favorite. As Gelb writes, “if [the meeting] results in a deal, it would likely require the team to move on from roster mainstays J.T. Realmuto and Alec Bohm.” That would assume that Bichette slots in at third base with Bryson Stott remaining at second base. The need to move on from Realmuto would simply be a financial one. As Gelb notes, “the combination of money allocated for Realmuto being unspent and Bichette’s willingness to move off shortstop has opened the door” for the Phillies to approach Bichette with serious interest. This situation could escalate in the next few days.

With Kazuma Okamoto now in Toronto, the only spot for Bichette is at second base, and the Blue Jays have Ernie Clement currently slotted in to play there. Rosenthal believes that the Blue Jays would be more inclined to let Bichette walk and try to spend money to bring Kyle Tucker on board. If the Blue Jays are out on Bichette, that would leave the Yankees, Cubs, Phillies, and Red Sox, who reportedly prefer to add Alex Bregman.