Bo Bichette reportedly agrees to 3-year, $126 million deal with the Mets

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Bo Bichette entered his walk year with one goal in mind: To prove he could still be an elite hitter after an injury-riddled 2024. He accomplished that goal last season and was rewarded handsomely for it on Friday.

Bichette has reportedly agreed to a three-year, $126 million deal with the New York Mets, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Coming into the 2025 MLB season, it was not a guarantee that Bichette would receive a major deal when he hit the market. Despite five previous seasons in which he slashed .299/.340/.487, he experienced a down year in 2024, hitting just .225/.277/.322 over 336 plate appearances. While his defense still graded out well, Bichette was among the worst hitters in baseball in 2024. 

There were a few reasons for that. In June of that year, he wound up on the injured list due to a calf issue. He was able to return but quickly reaggravated the injury, leading to a longer stint on the IL. Bichette once again worked his way back, only to break his finger one game into his second return from a calf injury.

While that explained his second-half struggles, his slow start in the first half was more of a concern. Bichette appeared to be healthy entering the 2024 season, so there wasn't a clear explanation for his early performance. Was he already a player in decline, or did a slow start spiral out of control due to injuries?

Bichette definitively answered that question in 2025. The shortstop returned to his hit-happy ways, slashing .311/.357/.480 with 18 home runs over 628 plate appearances. It was his best offensive performance since his rookie season, when Bichette clubbed 11 home runs in 212 plate appearances. 

With the performance, Bichette proved his 2024 production was a fluke. That set the 27-year-old up for a major payday on the free-agent market, where he ranked No. 4 on Yahoo's list of this winter's top available players.

While Bichette is capable of superstar production, injuries have been an issue for the infielder. In addition to his injury-riddled 2024 season, Bichette missed time in 2023 due to knee and quad injuries and missed most of the playoffs in 2025 after sustaining another knee injury. 

Other than 2024, Bichette has performed despite those injuries. Following his knee injury in September, he was able to return in time to play in the World Series. Despite being less than 100 percent and missing multiple weeks, he hit .348 across seven World Series games. He even smacked a three-run homer off Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani in Game 7 of the World Series. 

Thanks to his bounce-back year, Bichette was given a qualifying offer from the Toronto Blue Jays. He declined that offer, knowing he would make far more on the free-agent market. 

He was proven right. The Mets will now shell out $126 million for Bichette, who has proven multiple times that he's a legitimate top-of-the-order hitter capable of giving a team strong defense at one of the most important positions.

Injuries remain a concern with Bichette moving forward. But as long as he stays on the field, he should be a perennial down-ballot MVP candidate in the short term.