Bo Bichette trade chatter could force Blue Jays into major decision

The Mets are 9-19 and just got swept by the Rockies, which is why every ugly image from that dugout is getting magnified right now.

That includes the viral clip of Bichette sitting alone after the sweep. On a winning club, it is a shrug. On a team sinking this fast, it turns into trade talk.

There is an important line to draw here. There is no confirmed report that the Mets are shopping Bichette today. This is still speculation built on a bad start, a bad visual, and a roster that clearly needs a jolt.

Still, the idea is not coming from nowhere. Bichette signed a 3-year, $126 million deal with New York in January, and the contract includes player options after 2026 and 2027. That gives the whole situation a shorter fuse than a standard long-term contract.

The early production has not settled anything. Through 100-plus at-bats, Bichette has been hitting .239 with 1 home run and 12 RBI, a slow start for a player the Mets brought in to stabilize the infield and lengthen the lineup.

That is what makes Toronto interesting here. The Blue Jays know exactly who Bichette is, exactly what he can look like when he is right, and exactly how loud this market gets when his bat cools.

A reunion would not be simple. The Blue Jays already moved on once, and a big-league return would only make sense if Ross Atkins believed the price had crashed enough to justify the risk. That is a very different conversation from the one New York had in January.

There is also a baseball complication on the Mets' side. Francisco Lindor is dealing with a calf issue, and New York just used Bichette at shortstop for the first time as a Met because of that need. A team that thin in the infield cannot move him casually.

But desperate teams do desperate things. New York has lost 15 of its last 17, sits near the bottom of MLB in runs per game, and has already reached the stage where identity questions are showing up around the clubhouse.

That is usually when front offices start listening, even if they are not actively selling. A shake-up deal is easier to imagine when a team looks flat, expensive, and stuck before May.

For Toronto, the appeal would be obvious. Bichette is still only 28, still carries real bat-to-ball skill, and would not need years to learn the room or the city again.

None of that means a trade is about to happen. But Bo Bichette is now sitting in the middle of the Mets' collapse, and if New York decides it needs a real shake-up, the Blue Jays will be one of the first teams fans connect to the story.