Mets announce that Bo Bichette will not be playing shortstop or second base for them

Friday's reporting has already framed Bichette's deal as a loud pivot, three years and $126 million, after New York missed on Kyle Tucker. The contract has been described as including significant player protection, and it is still waiting on the usual official steps.

Now comes the on-field twist. Ken Rosenthal reported Bichette is expected to play third base for the Mets, which is the cleanest way to keep Francisco Lindor at short and still jam another star bat into the lineup.

The hardest part for Jays fans is imagining him learning a new corner spot in Queens, when Toronto could have built the next three summers around his bat.

The third-base plan instantly puts Brett Baty in the spotlight, because he was penciled in for that job before Bichette arrived. Rosenthal's note floated the obvious ideas, a Baty trade for pitching or a move across the diamond, and the roster squeeze feels very real.

For Bichette, third base is a fascinating gamble, but it is not random. He has always been a high-contact hitter, and last season he hit .311 with an .840 OPS, numbers that play anywhere if the glove holds up enough.

The defense is the whole story now. Third base asks for quicker reads, shorter throws, and comfort charging slow rollers, and spring work will matter as much as any batting practice shot. If he looks steady early, the Mets will live with a few rough reps.

From the Toronto angle, it is another reminder that «keeping your own» is sometimes harder than landing a stranger. Bichette was drafted by the Blue Jays in 2016, grew into an All-Star level hitter, and now he is changing positions in another uniform.

The human part is brutal, because fans do not just lose production, they lose a familiar face in the box every night.