Why the Bo Bichette signing shouldn't have the NY Mets rushing to trade Brett Baty

At last, David Stearns has risen from his extended hibernation and brought some much-needed offensive talent to Queens. Once Pete Alonso signed with Baltimore, New York Mets fans were concerned that Stearns was asleep at the wheel.

On Friday, Stearns dissuaded all worry by finalizing a three-year deal with superstar infielder Bo Bichette for $126 million. With such a meteoric addition to the infield, the natural next question is what happens to young Brett Baty, the Mets' emerging Swiss Army knife inside the diamond?

If you take a swim in New York media waters right now, you're sure to hear plenty suggesting that this is the perfect time to sell high on Baty. That's where I come in. I'm here to debunk that theory right now.

The New York Mets can never have too many good players

I'm sorry, I didn't realize the Mets were the modern 1927 Yankees. I didn't realize this was the '86 Mets, where the roster was overflowing with championship talent. I must have missed all of that.

In the reality I live in, adding one great player doesn't mean it's now time to move out other workable pieces. Granted, it's a little bit different given that Bichette and Baty's defensive positioning certainly overlap to some degree.

But the Mets' infield is far from perfectly structured as is. It can be tinkered with. As alluded to, Pete Alonso isn't at first base anymore. The plan was to platoon Jorge Polanco and Mark Vientos. With all due respect to the veteran signee and Vientos, Brett Baty is leaps and bounds ahead of them as a fielder right now. It would actually make sense to give Baty a shot at first base himself a couple of times.

And Brett Baty is a proven infielder – a really... really good, proven infielder. While Bichette will certainly slide into the third base spot now, and recent signee Marcus Semien is set to man second base, Baty is too good a fielder to leave out of the mix altogether. He'll get plenty of early reps in the field, with the benefit of a DH spot for others.

And he's too good a hitter to automatically assume he'll be the odd man out. It wouldn't be a shock if he took another step and outperformed Semien offensively. It's also entirely likely he outperforms Vientos at the plate as well.

Vientos has the reputation as the better slugger between the two, but the numbers did not bear that out last season. Baty's 111 OPS+ to Vientos' 97 certainly says otherwise.

Also, let's not allow the glee of a new toy distract us from the business of baseball. Bo Bichette is a New York Met – right now. In 2027, it's entirely possible he exercises his opt-out and bolts for greener pastures.

If he decides to stay in 2027, great. But he has another opt-out after that season as well. So, in theory, this is as good as a one-year deal. Does it really make sense to kick the legs out of any potential backup plan if Bichette leaves?

It's pretty easy in a situation like this to do the math in your head. One plus one equals two, right? Well, the business of sports isn't a simple equation like that. Depth is always a good thing. And young talent shouldn't be sliced and diced like the components of a salad.

Young talent under financial control should be handled with care, and prime superstar signings should be enjoyed as long as you have them. And when possible, the goal is to keep – and utilize – both.