New York Mets infielder Bo Bichette reflected on his early-season struggles with his new team after signing as a free agent with them.
Bichette signed a three-year, $126 million contract with the Mets that included opt-outs this offseason after leaving the Toronto Blue Jays. When he was signed, the move looked like a good one for New York, as Bichette has been one of the league’s top-hitting infielders since he made his MLB debut in 2019.
But 2026 in New York has been a massive struggle for Bichette, to say the least. Through the first 46 games of the season, Bichette is hitting just .210 with a .531 OPS and has accumulated -0.7 bWAR. For a player who is making $42 million this season, this sort of production just isn’t good enough, and the Mets surely envisioned him playing much better when they gave him a huge contract.
Bo Bichette Reflects on Struggles With Mets
Speaking to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Bichette reflected on his early-season struggles in New York.
“I don’t know if it’s been the toughest stretch of my career. But it’s up there,” Bichette said.
The 28-year-old Florida native admitted that the move from Toronto to “The Big Apple” has been tougher than he initially anticipated, as well.
“There are a lot of things I didn’t anticipate. Just dealing with everything. New teammates. New organization. Staff. New fan base. Everything, I think,” Bichette.
For the Mets, Bichette simply hasn’t lived up to his end of the bargain after the team gave him a big contract during the offseason. The Mets, who are currently 20-26, are in last place in the National League East over a quarter of the way into the season. For a team with the second-highest payroll in the big leagues, this is not the start that anyone could have ever expected.
To that end, Bichette feels that he might be pressing with the Mets in an effort to impress his teammates and fans, and it’s unfortunately backfired on him.
“Being on a new team, I just want to help the team, first off. But I think, naturally, I want to impress people and show people what I can do. Not being able to do that is tough,” Bichette admitted.
Bo Bichette Plans on Staying With Mets
Bichette’s three-year deal with the Mets included player opt-outs after the first two seasons. While Bichette could always exercise those clauses, right now, he said he plans on fulfilling the three years on his contract with New York.
“I signed here for three years. The opt-outs, any player would love them, to have control of their future, whatever the case might be, where they want to be, if they want to search for something else, I don’t know. But when I signed here, I took it as a three-year deal,” Bichette said.
Given his track record in the majors, Bichette has every reason to turn things around and get back on track. But it has to start now if the Mets are going to make a playoff push for 2026.
Bo Bichette Reflects on Early-Season Struggles With Mets