The New York Mets made major moves this offseason to improve the team after missing the playoffs in 2025. One of the new faces in New York is former Toronto Blue Jays infielder Bo Bichette.
In January, the Mets and Bichette agreed to a three-year, $126 million contract, per ESPN. The contract includes player opt-out clauses after the first and second seasons and contains no deferred money, giving it a straightforward average annual value of $42 million.
With Bichette now in the mix with the Mets at least for this season, Juan Soto didn’t hold back his thoughts on his new teammate, who also brings World Series experience to the team.
“We’re going to have Bo,” Soto said about having Bichette in the Mets lineup for added protection (h/t SNY). “Bo, I trust him. He’s a great hitter. Definitely, he can hit homers, and he can hit for average. So I think he’s a great protection.”
Soto finished the 2025 season batting .263 with 152 hits, 43 home runs, 105 RBIs, and 120 runs scored across 160 games, per StatMuse. The performance earned another Silver Slugger award, the sixth of his career.
Moreover, Soto believes that this 2026 team is better than last season, as this offseason saw the departures of key players like Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz, and Brandon Nimmo.
“I feel the same way as last year,” Soto added (h/t SNY). “We have a great team this year. We had a great team last year. This year, I feel like we have an even better team. I played with those guys last year. It’s a new year. We forget about what happened last year. Whatever happens, we focus on this year.”
Mets Made Right Call to Move Juan Soto to Left Field
While Soto will have new teammates in the lineup, he will also have a new position. The Mets are moving their star outfielder from right to left field. Amid this decision from New York, former MLB general manager Jim Duquette says the team made the right move by moving Soto to left field.
“If you look at all the metrics and the eyeball test and all that, last year he was a minus-12 Outs Above Average in right field,” Duquette said during the Feb. 10 edition of “Baseball Night In New York.”
“The last time he played left field, it was, I think, a minus-7 in left. It wasn’t great. But defensively, there are fewer balls hit to left field. There are fewer right-handed hitters in the league; that’s No. 1. No. 2, his arm plays better in left field than it does in right field, and I think there will be an upgrade defensively in left field.”
New York Should Only Worry About Having Juan Soto’s Bat
Regardless of where Soto plays out in the outfield, even though he’s not the best defensive player out there, MLB Network Radio host Ryan Spilborghs believes all that should matter is that the Mets have Soto’s bat in the lineup.
“I don’t know that left field is that much easier for Juan Soto,” Spilborghs said in a Feb. 10 video posted by MLB Network Radio. “I mean it goes back to when he first came up to the big leagues with the Washington Nationals for Soto. He’s in left because Bryce Harper was in right.
“Right field at Citi Field is a little bit nuanced just because of all the different corners and cuts that they have. So moving him to left field, should that help him out a little bit? Possibly. I don’t know if this makes it easier for Juan Soto, but I just want him for his bat. I care about his bat.”
Juan Soto Doesn’t Hold Back on New Mets Teammate Bo Bichette