Bo Bichette has seemingly found out that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, even if the money might be.
Now, in just his first season after joining the Mets, the former Toronto Blue Jays all-star has a big decision looming over whether or not he sticks it out in New York.
For as bad as this Jays season has been, it has been far worse in Queens, where the Mets sit last in the NL East and 16 games below .500 entering Friday’s games.
This comes despite one of the highest-priced rosters in baseball – which includes Bichette, who signed a three-year US$126-million contract in free agency earlier this year.
But with the Mets becoming a circus sideshow and trading away several players at the MLB deadline, questions have risen over the team’s future plans and if Bichette will choose to be part of them – the two-time MLB all-star has the ability to opt-out after each season of his contract.
What did Bo Bichette have to say?
When asked about the possibility of opting out after this rough first season with the Mets, the infielder said he’s focused “on what I’ve got to do” in present, but is seemingly optimistic about the team’s future.
“The way I look at it is, I think there’s no doubt this team is going to be better next year,” Bichette told MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. “I really believe that. There’s still a lot of talent in this room, a lot of young talent that’s really hungry, combined with guys that have been around who have done a lot of great things in this game.
“And then on top of that, typically when you have a season like this, people show up a little bit more motivated. So I think that this group is going to be well prepared to be better next year.”
Bichette also took some of the blame for the Mets’ poor results, acknowledging his own struggles.
“It hasn’t been my best season for sure,” Bichette said. “If I played better, maybe the season would be different for the team. But just focused on trying to finish strong.”
How has Bichette been playing?
Apart from his injury-riddled 2024 campaign, this season has been Bichette’s worst at the plate in his career.
Normally one of the top players in the Majors in terms of batting average, Bichette is hitting a pedestrian .257, 32 points below his career mark.
Early in the season, he was even booed at home as he started the year off on a cold streak.
The 28-year-old Florida native also admitted that it was hard to see his team be sellers at the deadline after having such high hopes heading into the season.
“Any time you find yourself in a situation like this, it’s not the most fun thing,” Bichette said. “You see people leave that you have good relationships with. It means that you’re not in a great place in the standings.
“But for us, we still have to show up and try to win every day, continue to be professionals. That’s what we’re looking forward to doing.”
Despite completing a sweep of the Guardians on Thursday, the Mets have the third-worst record in the National League and are 11 games out of a wild-card spot. They open a three-game series against the Pirates in Pittsburgh on Friday night.