How Bo Bichette Signing Impacts Mets’ Lineup
If the Mets were going to make a big splash and add a middle-of-the-order bat via free agency, the expectation was that they’d land either Kyle Tucker or Cody Bellinger given their hole in the outfield that was created by trading Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers for Marcus Semien back in November.
The club made a real run at Tucker, reportedly offering him a four-year deal worth $220 million with a $75 million signing bonus, but he opted to join the back-to-back World Series champions in the Los Angeles Dodgers on a four-year, $240 million pact.
Though Bellinger was still on the market on Friday, the Mets instead pivoted to adding Bo Bichette on a three-year contract worth $126 million with opt-outs after the first and second seasons. The two-time All-Star bounced back from a subpar 2024 campaign with a .311/.357/.483 slash line across 628 plate appearances in 2025 with 18 home runs for the American League-winning Toronto Blue Jays.
Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
New York’s infield had appeared rather set coming into the day with Brett Baty at third base, Francisco Lindor at shortstop, Semien at second base and free agent signee Jorge Polanco at first base, but the opportunity to add an elite hitter like Bichette, who is expected to slot in at the hot corner, was too tempting for David Stearns, Steve Cohen and company.
There are now some questions about Baty’s role in 2026 considering he’s no longer the Mets’ everyday third baseman, which was a role he largely thrived in last season. He’ll certainly still get some reps at the position when/if Bichette serves as the designated hitter or plays elsewhere on the infield, but perhaps Baty could be used in left field, with The Athletic’s Will Sammon pointing out that he has some prior experience out there, or even at first depending on how the Polanco experiment goes.
Polanco has spent just one game at first base during his big-league career, which came in 2025 as a member of the Seattle Mariners, but the Mets seem to be confident in his ability to adapt to the position. He has primarily played second base over the past two campaigns when in the field, but he was more of a designated hitter for Seattle this past year after undergoing surgery to repair the patellar tendon in his left knee in October 2024.
Francisco Alvarez is locked in as New York’s starting catcher with Luis Torrens once again set to take on the backup duties at the position. Likewise, Lindor and Semien should play just about everyday at their respective positions, but the likes of Baty and Luisangel Acuña could theoretically spell the latter at second base when needed as well.
Mark Vientos is a fall-back option at third and first base, but a lion’s share of his at-bats should come as the DH given his poor defense.
As for the outfield, the only thing set in stone is the fact that Juan Soto will remain in right field. Tyrone Taylor, who is in his final year of club control before reaching free agency next offseason, is currently pencilled in as the Mets’ starting center fielder after posting seven Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and four Outs Above Average (OAA) at the position last year, but his role is subject to change.
2024 first-round pick Carson Benge should push for a spot on the 26-man roster in spring training, and even if he doesn’t break camp with the team, he’ll be on the radar for a call-up shortly after the fact. He slashed .281/.385/.472 over a combined 519 trips to the plate with High-A Brooklyn, Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse last season.
Benge could play in either center or left field for the Mets once he’s ready to debut. Baty, if he does give it a go in left, as well as Acuña and Jared Young profile as the club’s top reserve outfielders at the moment, which doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence. Prospects Nick Morabito and Jett Williams could factor into the mix down the line too, though it’s unclear just how much of an impact they’ll have in the majors in 2026.
For that reason, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if New York were to acquire another outfielder in free agency or via trade. Adding Bellinger feels like much less of a possibility for the organization after landing Bichette, but they could benefit from bringing in Harrison Bader, Austin Hays or another veteran at that same level.
With that, here is how the Mets’ Opening Day lineup could potentially shake up based on where things stand today:
- Francisco Lindor, SS
- Juan Soto, RF
- Bo Bichette, 3B/DH
- Jorge Polanco, 1B
- Brett Baty, DH/3B
- Marcus Semien, 2B
- Francisco Alvarez, C
- Carson Benge, LF
- Tyrone Taylor, CF
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