Bo Bichette has the best mentor he can get on the NY Mets, same goes for Brett Baty

When the New York Mets added Bo Bichette’s bat — they added a real support system for the hardest part of the move. Turning a lifelong shortstop into a credible third baseman without letting the transition swallow him.

That’s why Marcus Semien could play a huge role here. Bichette and Semien already have a real relationship, and MLB has highlighted that their bond goes back years. That matters because mentorship only works when the advice comes from someone you actually trust — not just someone with a locker next to yours. If Bichette is going to have moments where third base feels uncomfortable (which he will), the difference between spiraling and stabilizing is often the person who can pull you back to the routine.

Bo Bichette’s Mets transition just got a huge edge thanks to Marcus Semien

Semien is the perfect guy for that because he’s lived the exact identity shift Bichette is staring at now. He wasn’t always viewed as a clean defensive shortstop. He moved off the position, rebuilt his defensive foundation, and turned himself into an elite second baseman — the kind who wins Gold Gloves. 

Bichette’s situation is different, sure. Third base is its own monster. And it’s likely that Bichette isn’t morphing into a highlight-reel defender at the hot corner. The Mets don’t even need that. They need him to be playable quickly and consistently, because the entire point of this roster design is that his bat stays in the lineup every day without the defense becoming a nightly adventure.

That’s where Semien comes in. Not because he’ll teach Bichette third base specifically, but because he can help him handle the process: how to take ugly reps without letting them define you, and how to keep confidence intact when the new position humbles you. 

There’s also a quiet ripple effect here for Brett Baty. Bichette arriving is the biggest sign that third base is no longer Baty’s runway. But it’s also a live demonstration of what the Mets are rewarding now: adaptability over entitlement. Semien is the proof-of-concept. Bichette is the current test case. If Baty wants to stay relevant in Queens long-term, the path probably looks less like “win third base back” and more like “find a new defensive identity and make it stick.”

The Mets are basically building an infield of shortstop brains and asking everyone to be flexible. Bichette getting Semien as a day-to-day guide makes that bet a lot less reckless — and a lot more intentional.