If the Toronto Blue Jays and their fans can take one bit of solace during this rough start to the 2026 MLB season, it’s this: At least they’re not Bo Bichette.
Of course, it’s hard to be sorry for a person who will be making $42 million US this year after signing a three-year, $126-million contract in the off-season, but no one could’ve predicted things would go this bad in Queens.
After the Mets dropped both games of a doubleheader to the visiting Colorado Rockies on Sunday, cameras caught the former Jays all-star sitting alone in the Mets’ Citi Field dugout, appearing to be on the verge of tears.
Bichette, who went 2-for-11 in the three-game series that saw the Mets get swept by a team that lost 119 games last year, sat alone on the bench while staring out onto the field before a teammate eventually joined him for a chat.
With the two losses on Sunday, the Mets saw their record drop to 9-19, which is tied with the Philadelphia Phillies for the worst record in baseball.
With the sweep, the Mets have now won just two of their past 17 games, including a horrific 12-game losing streak from April 8-21.
It’s not even close to what has been expected for a team with a payroll of more than $368 million, the second highest in MLB this year, according to Athlon Sports.
Bichette wasn’t the only one bummed out about Sunday’s results, either. According to the Associated Press, “many fans in the announced crowd of 38,155 left after the Rockies took a 3-0 lead in the third inning” of the second game.
Bichette had spoken about hopefully using the Rockies as a “reset” to help get the team on course after an awful start to the season.
“We definitely need to reset,” he said prior to the series. “You can’t put too much pressure on yourself. It’s going to take a full team effort, but I definitely know that I need to play better to help this team start winning some games.”
How has Bo Bichette been playing for the Mets?
Bichette had been one of the biggest free-agent signings of the offseason in MLB. He left the American League champion Toronto Blue Jays, where he had spent the first seven years of his career, for the Mets and their big-money offer.
The two-time all-star hasn’t exactly been the impact bat that the Mets had been hoping for.
Through 28 games, Bichette is batting .233 — well below his career average of .292 and last year’s mark of .311 — and he has hit just one home run and 12 RBIs.
Earlier this season, Bichette was heavily booed during a game at Citi Field after striking out to end the seventh inning with runners on second and third in a tied game.
The strikeout had been Bichette’s eighth in the first three games of the young season.
Bichette addressed the jeers he received from the Mets faithful, admitting that he also felt his at-bats were “terrible.”
“If anything, I thought it took too long,” Bichette told reporters in New York at the time. “I get it. I thought my at-bats were terrible, too.”
Will Bichette opt out after season?
One interesting tidbit about Bichette’s contract is that while it is a three-year deal, he has player options after each season.
Should the Mets fail to rebound from this rough start and miss the playoffs, would Bichette head back into free agency? While his struggles at the plate likely would knock down his value on the market, if Bichette values winning over money, it could be a move that he might consider.
Nonetheless, it’s a question that many will be asking as long as the team’s struggles persist.