Bo Bichette and Carlos Mendoza are suddenly sitting in the middle of a New York debate that keeps getting louder.
The rumor side is easy to find. Multiple reports tied to Bob Nightengale's latest reporting say rival teams expect Bichette to opt out of the final 2 years of his Mets contract after this season.
That is a real story because Bichette's deal was built this way from the start. He signed for 3 years and $126 million with opt-outs after each season, so the escape hatch is not some made-up fan theory. It is in the contract.
But the pushback from fans makes sense too. Bichette has had a rough first season in New York, and on the surface it is hard to see why a player would walk away from that much guaranteed money after a down year.
That is where the “we think there's not a chance” argument comes from. If Bichette is hitting .236 with a .644 OPS, as recent reports outlined, betting on himself again would be a serious gamble instead of an easy flex.
There is also an important line fans should not lose. The reporting says teams expect him to opt out. That is different from Bichette publicly saying he wants out of New York.
That gap matters a lot.
Because there is another side to this story. Even through the rough season, Bichette just reminded everyone what his bat can still look like when it gets hot. He hit 2 home runs and drove in 6 against Atlanta on June 13, one of the loudest games of his Mets season.
-
Bo Bichette might be a one and done in New York
That kind of game is exactly why this rumor has life. One good stretch can change how a player sees the market, how agents frame leverage, and how a team feels about the fit going forward. This is an inference based on his contract structure and the timing of the reports.
Still, fans who believe he may want to stay are not talking nonsense. A player on a huge short-term contract, in a major market, on a team that can still spend around him, does have reasons to stay put and rebuild his value without another move. This is an inference based on the contract value and New York market context.
And Bichette has not exactly acted like someone publicly forcing an exit. Earlier this year he even spoke positively about the experiences that come with playing in intense NL East environments, which does not prove anything, but it does not scream one-foot-out-the-door either.
So right now, both sides can make a case. The rumor says league people expect Bo Bichette to leave. The skeptical fan view says a rough year and a lot of guaranteed money make that far less obvious.
The cleanest read is probably this: the opt-out talk is real, but the certainty around it is not. Until Bichette says it himself or plays well enough to make the decision cleaner, this is still a loud rumor sitting on top of a messy season.
Will Bo Bichette really opt out of his Mets contract after this season?
Also read on Blue Jays Insider :
Blue Jays acquire new outfielder with offensive upside
