The baseball team from Queens, N.Y., is doing its best to be crowned the kings of the MLB off-season.
Just hours after officially announcing the signing of former Toronto Blue Jays hero Bo Bichette, the Mets swung a trade with the Chicago White Sox to bring in another all-star, Luis Robert Jr.
The 28-year-old outfielder made the AL all-star team in 2023 during a season in which he finished ninth in the majors with 38 home runs.
However, he has struggled throughout the past two seasons, partly due to injuries. He has missed 94 games over the past two years and hit a total of just 28 home runs over that span. His batting average has also fallen each year since the 2021 season, hitting a career low of .223 last season.
The White Sox will receive infield prospect Luisangel Acuna and minor league pitcher Truman Pauley, the team announced.
Acuna, the brother of Atlanta Braves superstar Ronald Acuna Jr., was the No. 66-ranked prospect in MLB in 2024 before making his debut.
He hit .308 with three homers over 14 games that season and went on to make the New York’s Opening Day roster in 2025. He largely played in a reserve role and was also optioned to triple-A three times.
Pauley is a 22-year-old righty who made three starts for the Mets’ single-A affiliate in 2025.
Mets put out highlights video of Bo Bichette
The move came less than 12 hours after the Mets posted a sort of “Welcome to New York” video for Bichette on Tuesday night, featuring many of the shortstop’s highlights from his time in Toronto and several images of the two-time all-star donning his new uniform.
Bichette’s three-year, US$126-million contract – which also contains opt-outs after each of the first two seasons – was made official on Tuesday.
He reportedly turned down a much larger long-term offer from the Philadelphia Phillies – an NL East rival of the Mets – in favour of a shorter deal with a greater average annual salary.
Phillies general manager Dave Dombrowski said on Tuesday that he had felt his team was “close” to landing Bichette before the free agent changed course at the last minute.
“I did think we were going to get a deal done … We were close,” Dombrowski said at a news conference Tuesday. “It was a gut punch … but until you have a signed memo of understanding, you don’t have a deal.”
The Phillies and Bichette were believed to have agreed in principle to a seven-year deal worth $200 million as of last Thursday night.