Bo Bichette Is Forcing The Mets Into A MASSIVE DECISION...

Bo Bichette is forcing the Mets into a massive decision. The veteran third baseman who signed with the Mets this past offseason got off to a rough start in New York but has become his former self in recent months and is leaving David Stearns and the Mets organization with some uncertainty surrounding his future. What's going on guys? I'm Josh Byrne. You're tuned into Mets Digest. Guys, thanks again for all the support. Obviously a rough season but a nice win today. 12-2 by the New York Mets. Zach Thornton, really impressive stuff from him. We'll get into him more tomorrow. But Bo Bichette apparently is noticing an underwhelming for agent class coming up and there's a report from Jeff Passan that it is not a guarantee that Bo Bichette is on the Mets next year. We all thought, considering that David Stearns brought him into a three-year deal and that Bo Bichette wasn't exactly giving the Mets the return on the investment they had hoped for, that he would stick around for the 42 AAV that he's owed next year. But now he is starting to turn things around and Bo Bichette is reportedly now considered a coin flip to opt into his contract or to opt out. This is the tweet from Just Baseball Media that's reiterating what was reported by Jeff Passan saying it is a coin flip on whether Bo Bichette will opt out this season per Jeff Passan. Bichette is owed $84 million over the next two seasons but would receive a $5 million buyout and would become a free agent going into his age 29 season if he decides to opt out. Now, the current most updated numbers after today's game show that Bichette has a 708 OPS, 16 home runs, 73 runs batted in. And quite frankly, if you told me that basically at the ending point of this season, these are where Bo Bichette's numbers would be, I'd be extremely disappointed and I am disappointed with what he has done. I know that his career OPS is right around 800, technically a little bit below 800. So it's not as if this is a complete outlier, but I think most people realized when the Mets signed Bichette that he was getting overpaid. But we expected to see something closer to what he did last year, which was putting up a 311 batting average and OPS over 800. And those two things haven't happened. And yes, he's been better in recent months, but I don't think you can go out there and say that he has been worth the money he's made. He absolutely hasn't been. He has won B-War this year. His baseball savant shows that he's not been particularly amazing defensively. I think he's been better with the eye test than what baseball savant showed. I think he's done a respectable job at third base, considering he hadn't really played there much at all before this season. And his bat on ball skills are still above average, but he's not going to draw walks. He is going to chase a good amount. And we've seen that. And overall, he just hasn't provided a ton of value to the Mets. Has he been good the past few months? Yes, he's been good. But I still think even during that time period, it's not enough for me to say that this guy is worth the contract the Mets gave him, which is $42 million for this season. And if he opts in $42 million next season. So I just I hear that Bichette's considered a coin flip to opt out. And I'm going to tell you, it does not break my heart. If he opts in, I wouldn't be heartbroken either, because I expect him to have a better season next year. But to be honest with you guys, if we're going off of the production that Bichette has given the Mets this year, these are replaceable numbers. Okay, this is not all star value. This is not, you know, this is not even star value. Like this is, this is a guy who's been slightly above average overall this season when you put it all together. He's been a decent player. He hasn't been a great player. And if he opts out, the Mets wouldn't be on the hook to pay him over $40 million. Think about where that money can go. And this is exactly what Jeff Passan had to say in more detail on this matter. Quote, the Mets owe Bichette $84 million over the next two years. If he opts out, he will get a $5 million buyout and hit free agency again, going into his age 29 season, hopeful that the mediocrity of the rest of the class makes him stand out in ways he didn't last winter. Now he is right about that. This is a mediocre class, but that's really the main selling point for Bo Bichette this year is that it's a mediocre class because he hasn't had the kind of season that is going to separate himself based on merit. It would be based on the past and based on the expected rebound seasons that he will have. And again, I expect him to be better next year, but I don't expect him to be $42 million AAV better. Now, when you look at the Mets current infield situation, we know that Francisco Lindor is all but a lock to be the Mets starting shortstop next year. I know there's been reports and rumors about him being traded. I just don't think that's and I certainly hope it doesn't happen, but David Stearns came out and said that there's no question that he is the starting shortstop next year. Of course, actions speak louder than words, but even if the Mets were interested in trading Lindor, I don't think it's feasible to happen. And then you have Marcus Simeon, who is still under contract for two more years after this. Now he will be on the team next year, I'm sure, but I think with the lack of production they've gotten from the veteran Simeon, it's fair to say that he is not a lock for a starting role. He could be a utility player, a bench piece. I just don't think it is the wise play for the Mets to just hand him a starting job because frankly, he's been bad this year. He hasn't been good offensively, and he hasn't even been good defensively. And then you have Jared Young, who I think has done a nice job. He's put up a 760 OPS, not earth shattering numbers, but I think he will be on the Mets next year, at least as a left-handed option in a platoon scenario at first base or at DH. And then, of course, you have the Mets' upper farm system. A lot of guys I'm not including here, such as Emelian Petrie, Billy Amick, Mitch Voight, but basically this image of Jefferson Rojas represents all of them. One, if not two, of those guys are going to make an impact at the major league level next year, and I think that is going to play into the vision of David Stern's offseason and what he's going to do at the infield spots, especially considering, as what was noted in these reports about Bo Bichette, the underwhelming and pending free agent class. And if we take a closer look exactly at that class, this is what we see. We see Bo Bichette at the top, of course, with that opt-out. Anthony Rendon, you can completely just disregard because I don't think that guy is ever going to play in the major leagues again. Then you have Gleyber Torres, who has had a decent year. Ha-Seong Kim, just an awful offensive season. Brees Hoskins, not the player he used to be. Eugenio Suarez, who was ... The Reds put him on waivers, so that shows what they thought of him. McNeil, let's not do that. Luis Suarez has had a good season. And Alec Boehm, I mean, these aren't exactly options that are going to fill you with a ton of exuberance and glee, but I do think that if we're looking at external options in this scenario in which Bo Bichette opts out and the Mets do not sign him in the free agent market, which I don't think they would, to be honest, after the season he had with the Mets, then I think you have a few key guys here in an otherwise underwhelming market. If the Mets, and I believe they should, look to the veteran free agent route, whether that be in free agency or in trades, then I think that would be the wise decision, because I know that there are prospects at the upper minor leagues, but if they lose Bo Bichette, they're going to need to add some sort of veteran bats to this lineup. I don't think you could count on Jefferson, Rojas, or Billy Emick to necessarily put that pressure on them next year. So we're going to start off with Gleyber Torres here. Gleyber has had trouble staying healthy this season, but he has done some things really well. He's provided defense that's right around league average in the middle infield, specifically at second base. He's drawn walks at a very high rate, the highest rate of his career. He's not chasing, which is nice to see. He's not the power hitter he once was, but I do think he is a serviceable option, especially considering the Mets are currently trotting out Marcus Simeon every day. I think Gleyber Torres would be an over that. Another guy who this would be more of a first base slash DH role would be Yandy Diaz, and I think there's an argument to be made that Yandy Diaz is one of the top five offensive free agents on the market this year. He is an extremely consistent hitter. He's batting right around 300 this season. He's got power. He doesn't really play the field, but I'm sure he could play first base here and there. This, to me, feels like a perfect fit. The Mets need thump in their lineup. They need more DH and first base, especially if Bo Bichette leaves, because even though Bo Bichette is not currently DHing and playing first base, that is still a veteran bat, a right-handed bat that you would need to replace. And then finally, Luis Urias. Urias, I'm not always huge on guys who don't have a lot of pop, don't have a lot of plate discipline, but just carve out singles, but he's done a little bit more than that this year. There's been a little more power. Again, not really much, but one thing that's jumped out to me about Urias' season is his defense. This is a guy who was not known for his defense in recent years, and he's been a gold-glover essentially this season when you look at what he's done for the San Francisco Giants and now the Philadelphia Phillies, so I would certainly be interested in that. And the OBP, the walk rate, it doesn't really matter when you're batting 320 every year, so Luis Urias is another guy I'd keep my eye on. But let me know what you guys think about the possibility of Bo Bichette opting out this offseason, what the Mets should do in the scenario that he does decide to test his market on free agency, given that there's really not a ton of star power on the impending free agent side. Comment below, let me know, and as always guys, let's go Mets.