The Kyle Tucker pivot that could’ve drastically changed the NY Mets more than Bo Bichette

We all know that Bo Bichette wasn't the New York Mets first choice this past offseason. The club only turned to him after Kyle Tucker spurned them and rejected their four-year, $220 million deal. The thought one gives the situation, the more the decision seemed to catch the Mets off guard, given their posturing at the time.

Quickly, Bichette was rounded up. New York had to act fast if it wanted to land his services, as the Philadelphia Phillies were set to give him everything he wanted. The thing is, had the organization put a little more thought into their Tucker fallback plan, they would have seen that a much better option was standing right in front of them.

Cody Bellinger checked all the boxes the Mets were chasing and more. He fit the positional requirement, as at the time, there were trade rumors swirling around Brett Baty and Mark Vientos, even before Bichette came into the picture.

Now, with how things have played out, Bellinger would have given the Mets a better path forward, given their current reality, too.

Cody Bellinger is proving to be the pivot the Mets should have made over Bo Bichette after losing Kyle Tucker

Based on his words and actions, there were two big David Stearns priorities this past winter. The first, which was bandied about ad nauseam, was run prevention. The second was finding more balanced, contact-oriented hitters to avoid being so reliant on the long ball as the club was at times in 2025. All three of Tucker, Bichette, and Bellinger had profiles that fit the bill for the second priority, but Bichette didn't live up to the first.

The front office's mission for run prevention upgrades was uneven and incomplete. On paper, they were stronger up the middle with Marcus Semien and Luis Robert Jr., but everywhere else they were either the same or worse.

Signing Cody Bellinger would've brought another elite defender into the mix. So far this season, he leads all MLB left fielders in defensive runs saved with 12 through May 28. The next highest mark is Chandler Simpson of the Tampa Bay Rays with six.

Unlike Bichette, who had versatility forced upon him with the move to third base, Bellinger brings actual versatility to the table. In addition to playing a stellar left field, the 2019 NL MVP also plays at least adequate or better defense in center field, right field, and first base.

Given the way injuries have impacted the Mets this season, that's important. For example, if the organization decided that its best use of resources was to have youngsters Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing roam the outfield with Juan Soto, then Bellinger could have seamlessly slid to first base to fill in for the injured Jorge Polanco. If they felt that Ewing needed more time, Bellinger could have simply shifted to center in Luis Robert Jr.'s absence.

Offensively, there has been no comparison between Bellinger and Bichette. The Yankees outfielder is hitting .271/.373/.487 with eight homers as of May 28. Bichette is slashing a paltry .225/.273/.317 with five dingers.

Obviously, no one would've expected Bichette to be this bad, but when it comes to avoiding strikeouts, Bellinger has been the superior player. Bellinger struck out just 13.7% of the time last season and has posted a 13.1% K-rate to date this year. Bichette struck out 14.5% last season, but that was an outlier, as his career mark entering 2026 was 19.4%. He's at 17.1% this year, which, while good, pales in comparison.

Overall, it's pretty easy to see that Bellinger would've fit the Mets' needs better and better exemplified the traits that they were supposedly looking for. Signing Bichette as the pivot from Tucker almost felt like a panic move to keep the former Toronto Blue Jays star away from a division rival, rather than a serious fit to fill an actual hole. We benefit from hindsight in this comparison, but even with what we knew at the time, it was clear that Bellinger always made more sense.

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