Mets' Bo Bichette likely to make opt-out decision for $42M reasons

The New York Mets signed Bo Bichette over the MLB offseason, swiping him right from under the Philadelphia Phillies' noses, for a three-year, $126 million contract.

It's a massive contract, and it includes player options for the 2027 and 2028 MLB seasons. So, with the 2026 season almost over, it's about time for Bichette to make a decision.

MLB.com's Mark Feinsand writes that Bichette is "likely" to not opt-out of his current contract for a simple reason: he might find it difficult to land the $42M per-year contract he'll have next season.

Bo Bichette likely to stick with Mets thanks to $42M contract

"Bichette signed a three-year, $126 million deal with the Mets last winter that allows him to opt out after 2026 or 2027, though given his down year, it feels unlikely that he would find a contract worth anything close to $42 million annually," Feinsand writes.

If Bichette were playing at an All-Star level, sitting around a .300 batting average and performing as he has during his peak, then he might have opted out of this contract with the Mets quite easily.

But if he were to opt out after this season, in which he is hitting .262 with 0.5 bWAR in 133 games played with a .699 OPS, the second-worst mark of his MLB career, it's hard to imagine he'd land anything close to the $42M he'd get from sticking in New York.

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The Mets still have $84 million left on Bichette's contract through the 2028 MLB season, and while the 2028 season is still a question mark, it's looking more likely than not that Bichette will stay with the Mets for 2027.

His offensive production just isn't good enough to justify risking it on the open market, especially with a $42 million per-year deal being quite the strong contract.

While it will sting a little bit to not have the realistic option to land a huge long-term contract like he wanted, having the guarantee of $42M in 2027 is not something Bichette is likely to pass up on considering his struggles this year.

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