Scorched earth NY Mets rumors haven’t ruled out another big bat after Bo Bichette

According to Sports Illustrated’s Pat Ragazzo, the New York Mets might not be done yet with big bats. The latest Mets rumors have the team going scorched earth in free agency, circling back to longtime target Cody Bellinger after already adding Bo Bichette.

It’s a fascinating scenario for sure and likely one that’ll only end with Bellinger taking a shorter deal. In the wake of having Kyle Tucker pull the rug out from under them to join the Los Angeles Dodgers, the biggest thing the Mets can do right now without trading players is to sign Bellinger and do so before a team like the Toronto Blue Jays get involved, too.

The Mets might not be able to keep up with the Dodgers. Instead, they’re going to burn down the entire AL East free agent pool while adding in the ever-flexible and well-fitted Bellinger.

Cody Bellinger will have to completely rethink his long-term plans if the Mets have any shot

If he’s turning down a deal similar to what Pete Alonso got from the Baltimore Orioles, what would it take for the Mets to actually bring Bellinger in? $40 million AAV? More? It’s preposterous dollars. Bellinger makes even less sense to accept a shorter deal unless his long-term plan is to just go year-by-year in free agency. It’s actually not the worst idea for a guy like him who’ll never be the cream of the crop at this stage of his career but will often have suitors.

The match with the Mets couldn’t be better for Bellinger. His ability to play a strong defense in left field and give innings as a center fielder and first baseman are what made him many fans’ favorite target. He always made more sense than Kyle Tucker outside of the contract situation. Tucker played his way into needing to take a shorter deal. He was, oddly, rewarded for it by the insane contract the Los Angeles Dodgers gave him and what the Mets were willing to do.

The Mets should still have competition for Bellinger. The Yankees have yet to do much of anything this offseason. The Blue Jays missed out on Tucker as badly as the Mets and might have the motivation to do something silly with Bellinger like give him a short and sweet deal he can opt out of. Let’s not ignore the ever-present mystery team.

While the addition of Bichette has a lot of fallout for the rest of the roster, adding Bellinger seems to just fill a hole. He’d become the immediate starting left fielder and allow for Carson Benge to comfortably take over in center field for Tyrone Taylor. The projected Mets lineup even with Bichette seems to be missing something in the middle. Bellinger batting fourth can solve this and finally give the Mets a true run prevention addition to the team, something they have yet to accomplish.