Bo Bichette’s NY Mets free agency will make him the league’s most complicated case

After narrowly losing out on Kyle Tucker, signing Bo Bichette was a great way for the Mets to bounce back. Although the Mets have no need at shortstop, third base was far less certain and it was a role that Bichette was eager to fill. His three-year, $126 million deal seems straightforward enough but it comes with enough conditions to make a short-term contract as complex as possible.

The player options in Bo Bichette's current contract could complicate his future with the team and in free agency

What makes Bichette's deal somewhat peculiar isn't the fact that there are opt-outs after each of the first two years, giving him the freedom to return to the free agent market if he so chooses. It's the fact that should he opt out after 2026, he'd receive a $5 million bonus on top of his $42 million salary.

This puts the Mets in an odd situation. If Bichette has a great season in his new role, he'll undoubtedly take the extra cash and look to sign an even larger contract in a free agent market where he'd be the most sought-after position player available. If his numbers are underwhelming, he'll be okay with another year working for a $42 million salary. Overall, it seems like the team is taking on the majority of the downside risk while he's able to enjoy the upside of a productive year.

As if there wasn't enough uncertainty, opting out would resurface the question of what his ideal position should be. Outside of 30 games at second base, shortstop is the only position he has played in baseball since being drafted in 2016. However, his defensive metrics would suggest that maybe a move to the hot corner would be beneficial in the long term.

Bichette has never had an outstanding glove. In 2025, he accumulated -12 Defensive Runs Saved, the lowest figure of any shortstop. This wasn't a one-off fluke either — he was also the worst defensive shortstop in 2022 when he posted -16 DRS. Since getting called up to the big leagues, he's never been a particularly agile player and his limited range means he often struggles to get to hard-hit balls.

Unfortunately, he may have similar issues playing third base. He had one of the weaker arms last year and range will be an important skill for any infield position other than first base. His admittedly brief showing at spring training hasn't inspired much hope, but a more accurate analysis can't be made without a more meaningful sample.

If he stays for the entire duration of the three-year contract, things may only get murkier. Will other teams be willing to return him to shortstop or keep him at third base? If his defensive results fail to improve, will he be moved to the other side of the infield? What would his market value be if his bat becomes the only aspect of his value proposition?

This quandary is just one of several related to the infield that the Mets must seek to answer this spring. The front office was clearly confident enough in Bichette's abilities to commit to a $126 million deal but the player options create more questions than answers.

For the Mets, this contract was clearly a backup option to Kyle Tucker which may have forced them to concede more negotiating leverage than they would've liked. Depending on how Bichette's deal pans out, he could be the first of a new trend or the last trial in a failed experiment.