Bo Bichette picks up his $42 million option to stay with the Mets

Bo Bichette is staying with the New York Mets. The third baseman will exercise his $42 million player option for 2027, a source confirmed to ESPN on Friday, after The Athletic first had the news.

That salary ranks among the six most expensive in the majors next season, according to ESPN, and Bichette holds another $42 million player option for 2028.

The decision closes one of the first questions of an offseason that opened with the World Series ending this week and a possible lockout hanging over the sport. Bichette could have gone back to the market. Instead he takes the guaranteed money and another year in Queens.

His first year there was a split season. The Mets signed him to a three-year, $142 million contract in January after missing out on Kyle Tucker, then moved the two-time All-Star shortstop to third base. It went badly early. Bichette was booed at Citi Field during the opening series and hit .219 with five home runs and a .583 OPS through June while learning the new position.

He was a different hitter after that. Over the final four months he batted .284 with 13 homers and a .772 OPS in 101 games, and his defense at third improved, per ESPN. For the full year he hit .260 with 18 home runs and a .702 OPS in 160 games, with a 96 wRC+ that put him about 4% below league average. His career line coming in was .294 with an .806 OPS.

The team around him had a worse year. The Mets went 74-88, finished last in the National League East and missed the playoffs for the second straight season with the second-highest payroll in baseball. Injuries to Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor hurt, and rookie outfielders Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing were among the few bright spots.

For the Mets, keeping Bichette at that price only makes sense if the second-half version is the real one. A full season at his career norms would make $42 million easier to defend.

What to watch: How the Mets build around Bichette at third this winter, and whether he faces the same decision next fall with the 2028 option.