Breaking Down Newest Mets Infielder Bo Bichette

After missing out on Kyle Tucker, the Mets made a quick pivot to sign infielder Bo Bichette to a three-year, $126 million contract, which includes two opt-outs and a $5 million buyout.

The 28-year-old has spent his entire career with the Blue Jays and is a career .294/.337/.469 hitter with an .806 OPS and 122 WRC+. After an injury-plagued 2024, he bounced back in 2025 with a .311/.357/.483 season. His .840 OPS and 134 WRC+ were the best across any full season in his career. He also hit 18 home runs, drove in 94 batters, and stole 4 bases.

Bo Bichette fills a lot of gaps the Mets had. They needed a right-handed batter. While their season slash line ended strong, for large chunks of the 2025 season, the Mets struggled with runners in scoring position. Bichette is a career .330/.337/.480 hitter with runners in scoring position. When the Mets were at their best, it involved grinding out long at-bats. With Juan Soto, Jorge Polanco, and now Bichette, the Mets are poised to make pitchers work to get outs.

The Mets’ team batting average was also ranked 14^th in 2025 at .249, and Bo is a career .294 hitter. He has also been described as a positive clubhouse presence that can help bring “energy, cohesion, and grit” to the Mets clubhouse that needed it in 2025, per Will Sammon and Tim Britton of the Athletic.

Bichette Will Play Third Base

When it was first announced, the big question was “where will he play?” Quickly, it was announced that Bichette would play third base, a position he has never played before. Will Sammon and Tim Britton of the Athletic wrote on this topic, “Scouts question Bichette’s arm for third base. One evaluator, however, said Bichette’s arm may play better at third base if he learns how to approach different angles. Footwork is also important. He will need to learn when to retreat and when to come in. The Mets are hopeful that Mendoza’s experience in the infield, plus the presence of bench coach and infield guru Kai Correa, helps Bichette.”

Eno Saris of the Athletic also touched on this, writing, “Bo Bichette had about the same arm strength as Alex Bregman on competitive throws last year (82.3 mph). Below average for the position, but workable. Semien threw almost six ticks weaker.”

While Bo’s range has traditionally been well below average for a shortstop, averaging roughly -5 OAA per 1,000 innings, his range rates better as a third baseman than as a shortstop. Last year, Bichette’s lateral OAA towards third base was at -3, and his lateral OAA towards first base was at -5. Over the previous three years, he averaged -2.4 OAA towards third base and -2.4 towards first base per 1,000 innings fielded. This puts him in line with Matt Shaw (45^th percentile fielding run value), who put up a -2 towards third base and -3 towards first base. Bichette’s 82.3 MPH arm strength was slightly better than Shaw’s 81.9 MPH arm strength. There is no guarantee he will be an average or better defender at third base. There is no guarantee he will stick there at all. But there are some reasons for optimism.

What Bichette Brings at the Plate

When you sign Bo Bichette, it is not for his glove, but for his bat. So, outside of the elite hit tool, what are you getting?

Bichette hit the ball consistently hard in 2025 with an average 91 MPH exit velocity (72^nd percentile) and a 48.8% hard hit rate (83^rd percentile). He does this without high-end bat speed at 69.1 MPH (12^th percentile) or a high pull fly ball rate at 10.9% (21^st percentile).

The remainder of his Statcast data is impressive as well:

• 86^th percentile strikeout rate (14.5%)
• 85^th percentile zone contact (89.2%)
• 83^rd percentile whiff rate (18.4%)
• 83^rd percentile sweet spot ((37.9%)
• 74^th percentile squared up (28.5%)
• 61^st percentile Max exit velocity (112.3 MPH)
• 56^th percentile 90^th exit velocity (105.5 MPH)

His only real knocks in 2025 were that he only walked at a 6.1% rate (28^th percentile), chased at a 35.2% rate (12^th percentile), and ran a barrel rate just under league average at 7.9% (41^st percentile). All of that is very common in contact-heavy approaches, and even his high chase rate plays into his ability to foul off balls and extend at-bats.

His selectivity is also elite, per Robert Orr of Baseball Prospectus:

• 93^rd percentile in hittable pitches taken (30.8%)
• 92^nd percentile in contact over expected (4.8%)
• 83^rd percentile in SEAGER (SElective AGgression Engagement Rate) (16.2)
• 59^th percentile in damage per batted ball event (22.5%)

Everything you look at under the hood shows that Bichette not only has an elite hit tool, but he has the ability to do damage. With two hitting coaches in Jeff Albert and Troy Snitker, known for improving player bat speed, pull fly ball rates, and damage rates, it is possible that there are ways they can further optimize Bichette’s skill set offensively.

How We Got Here

Stearns has shown interest in Bichette since early in the offseason when he met with him at the GM Meetings back in November, per Will Sammon and Tim Britton of the Athletic. The Mets also met with Bichette via Zoom the week before Kyle Tucker signed, in case they needed to pivot. Ken Rosenthal on Foul Territory described this move as not being a move made out of desperation, but a reaction to the market that fit into their plans. It is clear Bichette was one of the free agents they coveted, and the market lined up for them.

Bichette was projected by MLB Trade Rumors to sign an eight-year contract worth $208 million. He did receive a contract offer similar to that from the Phillies at seven-years and $190-200 million per Matt Gelb of the Athletic but he ultimately signed the three-year $126 million deal with the Mets.

Bichette lengthens this lineup. He may even come with some untapped power potential. Even if he does not, he brings a top-of-the-line hit tool, the ability to play under pressure, and an elite clubhouse presence.

The post Breaking Down Newest Mets Infielder Bo Bichette appeared first on Metsmerized Online.