• Jorge CastilloJan 16, 2026, 12:14 PM ET

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      ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the Washington Wizards from 2014 to 2016 and the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2018 for The Washington Post before covering the Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB for the Los Angeles Times from 2018 to 2024.

The New York Mets, in a quick pivot after failing to sign Kyle Tucker, have agreed to a three-year, $126 million contract with infielder Bo Bichette, sources confirmed to ESPN on Friday.

The deal, which is pending a physical, includes player opt-out clauses after the first and second seasons. It does not include any deferred money, giving the contract a straight average annual value of $42 million. With the expenditure, the Mets have surpassed the top competitive balance tax threshold of $304 million with a projected payroll of $345.7 million, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts.

Adding Bichette will also cost the Mets, as competitive tax payors last season, their second- and fifth-highest picks in the 2026 draft and $1 million from their international bonus pool because the Toronto Blue Jays had tendered Bichette a $22.025 million qualifying offer that he declined. With Bichette signing with another team, the Blue Jays, who drafted Bichette in the second round in 2016, will receive a compensatory draft pick after the fourth round.

The agreement with Bichette, one of the top free agents on the market, was sealed about 12 hours after Tucker chose to sign a four-year, $240 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers over a four-year, $220 million offer from the Mets — a decision that spawned more anger within a fan base still coming to terms with New York’s four longest-tenured players going to other teams this offseason.

This time, the Mets beat out the competition, led by their National League East rival Philadelphia Phillies, for Bichette with a short-term deal that could end up becoming just a one-year partnership.

The pressure was on owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns to add premier talent to a roster suddenly without Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Edwin Diaz and Jeff McNeil. Adding top-tier talent wherever possible, regardless of fit, was the driver in the Mets’ pursuit of both Tucker and Bichette.

Though Stearns has focused on the Mets’ need to improve their “run prevention” — modern baseball vernacular for pitching and defense — this winter, Tucker graded as a below-average defender last season and would have moved to left field, a position he hasn’t played since 2020, had he chosen New York.

Bichette, meanwhile, was one of the worst shortstops in baseball last season. He is slated to play third base in New York — a position he has never played at any level as a professional — across the diamond from Jorge Polanco, who signed in December to play first base for the first time in his career.

Ultimately, the Mets pursued both Tucker and Bichette for their bats.

Bichette, who turns 28 in March, is an offensive force when healthy, boasting elite bat-to-ball skills that produced a .294/.337/.469 slash line in his seven seasons as the Blue Jays’ shortstop. He has batted .290 or better in six of those seasons, led the American League in hits twice and has been named an All-Star twice.

Last season, he rebounded from a dreadful, injury-plagued 2024 campaign to hit .311 with 18 home runs and an .840 OPS in 139 games as Toronto catapulted from worst to first place in the American League East. He returned from a late-season ankle injury to bat .348 with a .923 OPS in the World Series while playing second base for the first time in his major league career and hit a go-ahead three-run homer off Shohei Ohtani in Game 7 before the Blue Jays lost in extra innings.

With the Mets, Bichette projects to bat third behind Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto, giving Soto the elite right-handed lineup protection he lost with Alonso’s departure.

Brett Baty, who had been projected to start at third base, could slide into a utility role that includes appearances in the outfield if he is not used in a trade to address the Mets’ need for an outfielder or starting pitcher. Baty, 26, enjoyed a breakout second half in 2025, batting .291 with an .829 OPS in 55 games after the All-Star break as the Mets’ primary third baseman. He has logged just one inning in the outfield in his major league career.

Mark Vientos, Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuna are also young infielders on the Mets’ roster who could contribute in part-time roles if they are not moved in trades.

The Athletic first reported on the Mets’ agreement with Bichette.