MLB Draft weekend was the worst time for Bo Bichette to start missing NY Mets games

Bo Bichette didn’t play Friday and he won’t be in the New York Mets lineup on Saturday either. As a result, we’re getting treated to back-to-back days with Zack Short in the starting lineup.

The timing couldn’t have been more inappropriate. The MLB Draft is already underway and by the time we get to round two, we’ll get a reminder of what the Mets lost by signing Bichette.

You’ll need to wait until the 27th overall pick for the Mets to take their first player. In round two, the Mets get skipped over completely. Because Bichette rejected the qualifying offer from the Toronto Blue Jays and the Mets went over the luxury threshold, they lose their second and fifth highest draft picks in this year’s draft.

Bo Bichette going M.I.A. on the same weekend as the MLB Draft won’t win over Mets fans

Bichette has been better, but far from the $42 million player the Mets needed him to be. Slashing .256/.299/.377 this season, his unforgivably slow start is something he was never meant to recover from. The team’s disastrous season doesn’t fall squarely on him. However, if we were to list out the problems with the Mets, one of the primary ones should be how badly he has performed for a larger percentage of the year than not.

The Bichette signing was a controversial one for Mets fans and their critics. Amazingly, his third base defense has been one of his better attributes. Worth 2 OAA at third base this season, his shortcomings have come from his performance at the plate. He’s hitting 44 points lower than his career .290 average with an OBP 33 points lower. Power isn’t something anyone expected in large quantities. With 10 home runs and 14 doubles after 94 games played, he’s far behind the average of 23 home runs and 39 doubles per 162 games.

Already punished by MLB with their first-round pick dropping 10 slots, they’re one of the game’s most irrelevant teams in the draft this year. They did gain a compensatory pick after the fourth round when they lost Edwin Diaz.

Because the All-Star Break is approaching, the Mets may be hoping for the best with Bichette’s health and that they can skip an IL stint. He’ll have three extra days to recover between games, the Mets picking up action next Thursday with a random off-day on Friday. Bichette leads the team with 94 games played, Carson Benge in second with 92 and Brett Baty not far behind with 91 played.

An injury labeled as "overall sore legs" will be yet another mark against the Bichette signing. Everyone gets hurt and rarely by choice. The timing, though, couldn’t have been worse. The Mets farm system has been on the decline. The draft is one chance to make it better. Bichette’s absence the day before, of, and possibly after the MLB Draft is only significant because it serves as a reminder that the organization lost more than money with what has turned out to be an underwhelming offseason addition.

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