NEW YORK — The Mets’ transformative offseason, a near three-month overhaul that has shaken the fan base and increased the pressure on decision-makers seeking the franchise’s first championship in four decades, continued with the introduction of Bo Bichette at Citi Field on Wednesday, a little over 12 hours after the club acquired center fielder Luis Robert Jr. from the Chicago White Sox.
Bichette confirmed the plan is for him to play third base, a position he said he last played in travel ball in high school. He spent his first seven major league seasons as the Toronto Blue Jays’ shortstop.
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“I’m excited for the challenge,” said Bichette, who signed a three-year, $126 million contract with player opt-out clauses after the first and second seasons. “It’s just like anything else: It’s going to take work to be good at something, and I’m willing to put in that work and we’ll get after it.”
With Bichette, one of the premier contact hitters in baseball, onboard for his age-28 season, the Mets will have an infield with shortstop Francisco Lindor and three former shortstops around him — Bichette, Marcus Semien (second base) and Jorge Polanco (first). Polanco, who signed a two-year, $40 million deal in December, also never has played the position he’s projected to play this season.
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns, who insisted a top priority this offseason was improving his club’s defense, said having four former shortstops in the infield will give them a “pretty distinct advantage.”
“I definitely think there’s going to be learning curves,” Stearns said. “I’m not trying to dismiss that at all. I think for both Jorge and Bo there’s going to be a learning curve. I think the majority of that learning curve is going to be where to be on certain plays. Frankly, some things that may not be completely perceptible. We’re probably going to make a mistake or two, but we’re also going to have elite range round the infield. That’s pretty exciting.”
In acquiring Robert, the Mets avoided surrendering a top prospect by agreeing to absorb the center fielder’s entire $20 million salary for 2026. They instead sent infielder Luisangel Acuna and minor league right-hander Truman Pauley to the White Sox.
Injuries and inconsistency have plagued the talented Robert, 28, over the past two years; he has combined to bat .223 with 28 home runs, a .660 OPS and 1.9 fWAR in that span. But Robert is also two years removed from a breakout All-Star season in which he slashed .264/.315/.542 with 38 home runs and 20 steals in 145 games.
It’s a gamble the Mets, with billionaire owner Steve Cohen’s backing, decided they could afford.
“I think step one is we’ve got to do everything we can to help Luis stay on the field,” Stearns said. “This is an enormously talented player. All of the underlying skills and tools are there — the same skills and tools that were there when he has his monster season a couple of years ago so that is really encouraging and that’s what attracted us to him. And now we’ve got to put him in an environment where he’s comfortable, where he’s supported. Sometimes just a change of venue helps a little bit.”
The Mets went down the path to add Robert and Bichette only after outfielder Kyle Tucker chose to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers over them last week. The next day, the Mets landed Bichette, who had been near an agreement on a long-term contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.
The team also on Wednesday signed veteran reliever Luis Garcia to what sources told ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez is a one-year, $1.75 million deal.
The additions are part of a stunning makeover prompted by the Mets failing to reach the playoffs on the final day of the regular season. It began with dismissing several members of the coaching staff and continued with the franchise’s four longest-tenured players — Brandon Nimmo, Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz, and Jeff McNeil — going to new teams.
“It’s just different,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “A lot different. Obviously, a lot of action. If you were to ask me this question as soon as we got eliminated, I didn’t know which way we were going to go. It’s just how everything unfolds. But I’m happy where we’re at as an organization. I like the makeup of our team. So, yeah, I think it’s hard to describe.”
