The New York Mets pried Bo Bichette away from the Toronto Blue Jays in January.
The move ended his seven big-league seasons in Toronto. He hit .294 with 111 homers in 748 games for the Blue Jays.
The Mets won him over with a three-year, $126 million contract built heavily in his favor. Bichette collected a $40 million signing bonus and a $2 million salary in 2026. His $42 million average annual value tied for the sixth-highest in MLB history when he signed.
The deal also includes full no-trade protection and opt-outs after the 2026 and 2027 seasons. Each opt-out comes with a $5 million bonus.
Now, it’s time for the first decision. Bichette has five days after the World Series ends to opt in or out. The Milwaukee Brewers clinched the title Wednesday night, starting that clock.
Two years and $84 million remain on his contract. Opting out would forfeit that money in exchange for the $5 million bonus.
Bo Bichette Has Career News Emerge
SNY MLB insider Chelsea Janes addressed the decision in a mailbag published Wednesday. Her read is that Bichette will opt in. She stressed it is only her read, since no one has told her anything definitive.
She also wrote that no new deal would come close to his $42 million average annual value.
People around the Mets seem “fairly convinced” that Bo Bichette will opt in to his deal for next season and stay with the Mets, per @chelsea_janes
The Mets’ first year with Bichette has not paid off. Bichette hit .260 with 18 homers, 78 RBIs and a .702 OPS in 160 games.
The year started badly. Citi Field fans booed him during opening weekend. Bichette hit .219 with a .583 OPS through the end of May. He rebounded from there. From June 1 on, he hit .284 with 13 homers, 50 RBIs and a .772 OPS.
Even so, the season fell well short of his 2025 campaign in Toronto. Bichette hit .311 with 18 homers, 94 RBIs and an .840 OPS that year. He also hit 181 and hit 44 doubles.
So, his market value would have reduced considerably. Last winter, the Philadelphia Phillies offered him about $190 million to $200 million over seven years.
He probably would not approach $200 million in free agency now. Opting out this year does not make much sense.
The second opt-out gives Bichette a cleaner path. He can play 2027 in New York and opt out next fall at age 29. A strong season could rebuild the value he carried out of Toronto.
New York itself also appears to matter to him. “I came to New York to win,” Bichette said in July. He also told the New York Post that his wife, Alexis, loves living in the city.
Not everyone expects him to stay. ESPN’s Jeff Passan predicted late in the season that Bichette would opt out. But signs point to him staying.
What if Bo Bichette Opts Out?
Janes also laid out how Bichette’s choice could shape the Mets’ winter.
If Bichette opts out, she expects the Mets to make “a big push for Sato or another corner bat.” If he opts in, they would still look at Sato for first base. The Mets would then figure out Bichette’s best infield spot, she wrote.
An opt-out could also put Toronto back in the picture. Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said last November that the club wanted to re-sign Bichette. Toronto instead signed Kazuma Okamoto and Bichette took the Mets’ offer.
Toronto fans have not moved on from him. Rogers Centre fans gave Bichette two standing ovations when the Mets visited June 29. One followed a tribute video and the other came before his first at-bat.
His bond with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. also remains strong. The two rose through Toronto’s farm system together and both debuted in 2019.
If not anywhere, Toronto remains an option.
Mets’ Bo Bichette Has $84M Career News Emerge Amid MLB Offseason