Mets' Bo Bichette exercises his $42 million player option and will stay in Queens, sources say
Mets' Bo Bichette reacts after his second-inning grand slam against Atlanta on June 12, 2026, at Citi Field. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Bo Bichette isn’t done with Flushing yet.
Despite a tough start to his season and his public struggle to acclimate to a new environment, Bichette on Thursday exercised his $42 million player option, choosing to stay with the Mets for a second year, sources confirmed.
Bichette also holds a player option after next season, part of his three-year, $126 million deal.
Bichette, 28, played 160 games last season, seemed to seamlessly change positions from shortstop to third base and heated up in the second half, finishing the year with a .260/.312/.390 slash line, 18 homers and a team-high 78 RBIs. It was a significant bounce-back for a player who was hitting .213 on June 2.
Though the contract will make him among the highest-paid players in baseball next year, there was some thought that Bichette would choose to leave New York after his early misadventures and the miserable season that ended with the Mets in last place for the first time since 2003.
There’s also the fact that this year’s free-agent class is largely considered a weak one, meaning that opting out would have made Bichette one of this offseason’s crown jewels. Additionally, the Mets would have owed him $5 million if he decided to walk.
That perception, though, shifted in the later months as he grew accustomed to his new surroundings and saw himself playing the part of mentor to the team’s collection of young talent.
“I think I had a similar story for myself as for the team,” he said on the last day of the season. “The first couple of months were not fun. It was tough. It was a long couple of months, but I think I’m proud of the way I handled it. I’m proud of the way I found myself. I think there’s a ton of growth in that situation — in becoming more comfortable in who I am.”
Bichette’s return provides a level of consistency for a team that has had a massive amount of turnover in the last two years. Bichette and Francisco Lindor are locks in the infield, but president of baseball operations David Stearns said last month that they’ll look to address Marcus Semien’s waning production at second base. The Mets also are in need of an everyday first baseman.
Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.
