As part of their offseason overhaul, the Mets brought in Bo Bichette and Jorge Polanco to bolster their infield. Polanco received a two-year, $40MM deal in December. Bichette, one of the top free agents, signed a three-year, $126MM pact in January with opt-outs after 2026 and 2027. Crucially, Bichette and Polanco will be playing new positions. The former will man the hot corner, while Polanco will split time between first base and DH.
Between the two, Bichette is the superior offensive talent. Apart from an injury-plagued 2024 season in which he only played 81 games, Bichette has been at least 20% better than average by wRC+ in every campaign since 2019. Last year, he tied for the 25th-lowest strikeout rate (14.5%) among 145 qualified hitters in the league. His overall line was .314/.357/.483, good for a 134 wRC+, the best full-season mark in his career.
Polanco is coming off his own career season. In 524 plate appearances with the Mariners, he hit .265/.326/.495 with a 132 wRC+ that nearly matched Bichette’s performance. Polanco also cut his strikeout rate in half, going from 29.2% in 2024 to 15.6% in 2025. His track record before 2025 was solid, if a step below Bichette. From 2019-24, Polanco could generally be counted on for 15-25% better-than-average offense, with 2020 (82 wRC+) and 2024 (93 wRC+) being exceptions.
Neither one of them is a strong defender. Bichette has exclusively played shortstop during the regular season, only venturing to second base during the 2025 World Series (and only because he was injured). His range graded out in just the first percentile in 2025, while Statcast took negative views of his arm strength and sprint speed as well. Overall, his glovework was valued at -12 Defensive Runs Saved and -13 Outs Above Average, the latter being a career-worst mark. It always seemed that he would move to a different position long-term, and now the Mets will slot him in at the hot corner. On the one hand, that makes sense given the acquisition of defensive stalwart Marcus Semien to man the keystone. However, it is questionable in that Bichette typically struggles on balls in play from right-handed hitters, which he will see in abundance at third base.
Meanwhile, Polanco began his career as a shortstop but has only played second and third base since the start of 2023. In 2024, he was worth -1 DRS and -10 OAA as a full-time second baseman. In 2025, he combined for -4 DRS and -4 OAA between second and third base, although he only played 330 1/3 defensive innings, with the Mariners deploying him as a DH in 88 out of 138 games. Like Bichette, Polanco is viewed negatively by Statcast for his range and arm strength, although the latter won’t matter as much at the cold corner. Furthermore, whereas Bichette struggles with balls in play from right-handed hitters, the opposite is true for Polanco. From 2024-25, he was worth -2 OAA on balls in play from righties, compared to -12 OAA on balls in play from lefties. Just as Bichette will be more exposed to right-handed contact at third, Polanco will be exposed to contact from lefties at the cold corner.
The question of which player is the better value to the Mets may come down to finances. While the Mets are well-positioned to take on expensive contracts, the current front office under president of baseball operations David Stearns shows a clear preference for short-term deals. Bichette can opt-out after 2026, so there’s a chance his deal turns into a one-year, $47MM pact ($42MM AAV plus a $5MM opt-out bonus). On the one hand, that gives the team long-term flexibility, but it could also be a lot for someone who is already not a strong defender and who is now learning a new position.
Polanco’s deal does not contain opt-outs, so the Mets are on the hook for $40MM in guaranteed money through 2027. He is half as expensive as Bichette, but his offense has more risk in that he ran a worse-than-average strikeout rate as recently as 2024. Should Polanco regress in that area, his overall output may not be up to par with the typical first baseman. His walk rate has also fallen year-over-year since 2022, whereas Bichette’s has stayed relatively constant (albeit below-average). In addition, Polanco is four years older than Bichette and more likely to decline as he plays into his 30s.
What do MLBTR readers think? Does Bichette’s offense justify his high AAV, even with the defensive questions at third base? Will Polanco repeat last year’s performance and take advantage of a less demanding position? Which one provides the better value at their current salary? Let us know in the poll.
Is Bo Bichette or Jorge Polanco the better value for the Mets?
-
Jorge Polanco 42% (2,134)
-
Bo Bichette 41% (2,076)
-
They are equally valuable. 16% (812)
Total votes: 5,022
Photo courtesy of Jim Rassol, Imagn Images
Screw ’em both. Stinkin’ Mets…
Waaaahhhh!!!
👶👶👶👶👶👶👶👶👶👶👶
Will’s remark is missing an LOL or two.
Lots of love?
Tell ’em how you really feel.
I still say Baty should be at third with Bo primarily DHing.
No way should Bo be playing 3b. He should be at 2b but I suppose Simien’s arm isn’t up to it any more than Bo’s.
If Semien is on your team, you play him up the middle. 2B defense is more important than 3B defense and requires more range.
@will19008- Don’t you dare ever disrespect the Mutts like that ever again!!!
Since it will be seen more attached to will’s poetic post than at the bottom of the page, here is my answer.
Past Performance Value? No question its Polanco.
In there internal projections, teams use the last 3 seasons weighted to the most recent. Taking the last 3 seasons of WAR weighted 66% to the most recent.
Polanco = 2.2 WAR for $20 million. $9.09 million per WAR
Bichette = 3.05 WAR for $42 million. $13.077 million per WAR
If you just want to use last season’s it’s still Polanco.
2.6 WAR for $20 million
3.5 WAR for $42 million
Now strictly hitting.
Polanco – 112 GP average
2025 – 134 OPS+
Last 3 seasons weighted – 122.4 OPS+
Last 3 seasons average – 114 OPS+
At the plate they are very similar in overall production
Bichette – 118 GP average
2025 – 129 OPS+
Last 3 seasons weighted – 116.8 OPS+
Last 3 seasons average – 114 OPS+
Polanco has been an ever so slightly better hitter.
If you want to project from those.
Bichette’s WAR will drop slightly in 2026 even if his defense improves from moving to 3B because he is going from SS with a +7 positional adjustment to 3B with a +2 positional adjustment.
Polanco’s WAR will change less because last season he played 89 games out of 138 at DH which has a positional adjustment of -15 to 1B which has a positional adjustment of -9.5. He only had 39 starts between 2B and 3B.
Factor in age related regression for Polanco and no change for Bichette other than the positional adjustment related drop in WAR because his age 29 season should still be within historical peak years and you get a 2.2 WAR for Polanco and a 3.3 WAR for Bichette.
In those numbers I am factoring in an 8-point improvement in DRS for Bichette. Given his lack of range that is highly unlikely, but I used it to show that even with a marked improvement on defense he is still going to see a small drop in WAR with the same offensive production.
So, if you are talking value for the $$ being paid there is no question. Polanco.
If you want to ask who the better player is, that is also no question, Bichette
Web, what do you do for a living? Just wondering because you seem to have nailed that one pretty well.
Semi-retired. Partner in a number of baseball academies now.
I think both of those contracts are underwater.
Not sure what the big fuss is with Bichette I’ve always been a fan… Polanco on the other hand…. more limited
The big fuss?
Dude has an iron glove and I imagine that the Mets will greatly regret the investment before the contract is over.
I expected him to sign to play secondbase somewhere. I’m afraid third is going to be a colossal failure defensively, but I could be wrong.
you will love his bat and cringe on every throw
Agreed. Bichette’s arm didn’t play well at SS, it’s only going to be worse at the hot corner. I also thought he would be playing 2B this year for someone.
The average distance on throws from 3rd is less than throws from short, and 3rd basemen usually have more time to make the throw. Granted, they have less time to field the ball, which I worry will be the issue for Bichette.
southi, Bichette’s glove is not the issue, it’s his MLB worst range and 36th percentile arm. If the ball is hit directly at him Bichette has no problem catching the ball, it’s when he has to move that there is an issue.
You cant look at the consistently mismanaged Mets and judge a player off what a single organization is doing. He is still a top 30-40 player in the mlb regardless of where they line him up
It’s actually 127 ft on average for a 3rd baseball, or between 85-130 ft for a SS. SS more frequently throws from a closer distance.
Regardless, I think we can all agree that he doesn’t have the arm to play either position. Should be a 2B.
Should be a 1B/DH, but I doubt he would have signed if they told him that was where they wanted him to play.
Agreed
So 127′ is the distance from first to third, not the average distance a 3rd baseman has to throw when he fields a ball. If I remember correctly that distance is about 118′, where the average from short is 120’ish. Short has a larger range of throws, from 150′ foot plus “deep in the hole” to under 90 if they’re on the second base side of the bag, but overall they throw slightly further.
Also I can’t find my source for this, but I remember being surprised but thinking “oh that makes sense”. I believe it was Statcast data from ’24 or ’25.
If that’s what Statcast had for 24 and 25 specifically, then I’ll go with it for those two years. To be fair though, deep in the hole at SS and average 3rd are close enough in distance to know that Bichette will be/was a weak arm for either.
Polanco is pretty much the definition of an average player. He’s had three good years out of 10 years and has averaged roughly 2.07 WAR in his time as an everyday player. Certainly he’s known as a good clubhouse guy, but so is the equipment manager.
Average means that he is better than half the players. That is plenty good. As a DH, Polanco was the 8th best hitter in MLB last season. If he had been primarily a 1B, he would have been the 7th best hitter.
That’s one year out of a 12-year career. Again, 2.07 average WAR in his career, 2.0 is an average full-time major league player. Statistically speaking, Polanco is not likely to start stacking up career seasons in an age 33 season.
2026 is his age 32 season. Already covered all of that. See above.
Hey not too many guys on this earth can fill out 162 big league games much less get close. Polanco is looked at as a lock for atleast 100 games right
His 33rd birthday is July 5.
His birthday is July 5th which means that this is his age 32 season.
If you are taking into account the CBT fines the Mets are paying for both, then they are absolutely underwater.
Too early to tell one way or the other.
It’s hard to judge “value” on these short-term, high AAV deals like Bichette’s. If he’s healthy and has a good season, he’ll be worth the money IMO. But he’s not a perfect fit for that team. So who knows.
I think Polanco’s deal is fine. It’s two years and they have plenty of other guys who can put on a first baseman’s glove plus Clifford waiting in the minors.
Further complicating Bichette’s deal is his ability to opt out. If he’s healthy and has a good season, he’s probably gone. imo, that’s a good scenario for the Mets. If he’s bad and sticks around… yikes.
Great point.
Interesting note… looking at Fangraphs’ RosterResource, they apparently have ~$150M coming off of their luxury tax payroll after this season and another $70M coming off going into 2028. That flexibility likely played a big role in the decision to give him the high AAV deal. Now that I see that, It would be less “yikes” and more “darn it” from the Mets if Bo has a down season.
I don’t care how you slice and dice it, $47 million for one season of Bichette is an astronomical overpay. There is no way he can hit enough to make that number work. (Roughly going by WAR he would have to produce a 5.5 season to break even.) In order for Polanco’s to break even we are looking at a 2.5 or so WAR season which is much more feasible. I don’t know how anyone could vote for Bichette in this poll.
Someone was going to give it to him. The Mets said “hold my beer”. Cohen clearly doesn’t care about the money.
I really don’t get paying Bichette and Polanco 66m and moving on from Pete Alonso who got 31m/yr. Franchise homerun leader coming off a season with his highest avg exit velocity (93.5 mph) and hard hit % (54.5) of his career and both were quite a bit better then anything he’d put up prior. He’s about 1.5 years younger than Polanco as well. Not to mention Baty was a 3 win player at 3b last year and cheap.
Seems like getting Semien up the middle would have been a big enough defense upgrade. Plus having 35m to spend on other pieces could have added more value to the team.
Fried: How about the idea that Cohen cares a lot about the money but understands that the market isn’t going to change because he’d like it to?
We must have totally different perspectives. I saw Bichette potential market drying up considerably and it seemed to me that the Mets were mainly competing against themselves. Then they were so excited to make a splash with a big name bat they forgot about half of the game is called defense.
I just expect this to eventually be viewed as a horrible signing by the Mets
It really doesn’t make sense to equate dollars to WAR. How do you even quantify the value of a player winning a game for a team do you just plug “vibes” into the calculator?
I would expect that every single front office has some type of player valuation system (if they don’t choose to use either bWar or fWar) and to a great extent they VALUE the worth of the player against their chosen system. So while you may not think it makes sense do you really conclude that teams don’t exactly do some form of what you claiming makes no sense?
The days of 8m per WAR are over bubba bear.
Fried Chopaholic, those numbers are almost moot since the CBA expires in December of this year. While the most dramatic possibilities (salary cap) probably won’t happen, it is almost certain that there will be some tweaks or even wholesale changes to the current system. All reports to date say that the owners are willing to dig in their heels to get something more restrictive than the current system, even if that is only larger penalties. It seemed pretty clear to me that was the reason Stearns dodged (and dealt off) long-term contracts all off season.
Alonso was homegrown and a fan favorite, not to mention career HR leader on a ballclub not known for home run hitters. Mets had to plan for his replacement once he told reporters right after last year’s collapse was official that he would opt out.
Baseball is a business success is measured in $$$ first and foremost
@Ignorant Son-of-a-b
$/WAR isn’t linear for a team like the Mets on their win curve. When they showed the door to Alonso, McNeil, and Nimmo, they made a high upside play to fill in a bulk of the lost production with Bichette with one roster spot. Polanco does not have his ceiling potential. In a vacuum, I agree Polanco is the safer bet to get your money’s worth.
I voted “both” because I agree with you about Bichette but I also feel Polanco will struggle to reach 2.5 WAR in total over the contract. He’s a terrible fit for 1B both as a hitter and a defender.
Geoff, you could be right on that for sure. Let’s all hope we have a full season of baseball in 2027.
With the luxury tax they are paying about $100M for Bo and $40+M for Polanco.
Is paying based on a career year that is unlikely to be repeated ever a good thing?
If you were the team, would you evaluate players on Wins only, or would you take into consideration revenue generation.
Rct: Little chance he’s bad.
pretty hard to walk away from that much AAV.
I’m getting Correra vibes from Bichette
I am old school, when you are spending big bucks, please get a guy with experience playing the position you want to fill rather than experimenting with moving them. The acquisitions both have good bats but Bichette at 3B is going to suck defensively.
You don’t know if he’s gonna suck at 3B. Nobody does. He could be great there. However we all do know he’s been one of the worst defensive shortstops in the league. He was absolutely moving off the position at some point. We also know the Mets have Lindor at SS and Semien 2B, they’re both very good defensively. 3B was just the most logical spot given their roster.
There is nothing logical in putting a terrible fielder like Bichette at 3rd base. It is called the hot corner for a reason and it is going to look ugly for the Mets this season.
You don’t know that.
He sucks at SS because his hands are stiff, his arm is weak, his range is limited, and his actions lead to inaccurate throws.
At 3B his limited range is less of an issue, but this problems with the rest will be magnified.
On top of that he has a bit of a fragile personality. If the media and fans get on him, (which is likely in NY) it’s gonna be tough. In TOR the media and fans always treated him well and in 2024 he really struggled mentally.
As a Jays fan I hope he does well, but he really should be playing 2B in a less hostile market
Agreed I don’t get either digning
Bichette won’t suck as bad defensively at 3B as he did at SS. He will be bad but not worst in MLB bad.
Maybe. Or maybe by the second half of the season Bichette will be playing a lot of DH, and Baty (or Mauricio or Vientos) will also play some 3B.
Or maybe the Mets will do what they agreed with the player to do and play Bichette at 3B.
I am sure that it will start that way and stay that way for several months. But if you look at Fangraphs, they show Bichette at 3B and Baty at DH. Swapping those roles might make sense. I am open to the idea that Bichette is better defensively than Vientos. Bichette will not need as much speed and range at 3B as at SS. But there is some reason to question whether he has the arm strength and accuracy for 3B. In any event, I am excited for the regular season to start for all thirty teams.
Bichette was signed to hit and there is no question who the better hitter among those two is. Stearns and Mendoza have already told us where they will play. Bichette 3B. Baty utility with time at 1B, 3B, LF, and RF. Baty has not yet shown he is even an average 3B on the defensive side. The Mets want Bichette back in 2027, so as long as he hits, he will play 3B like the POBO and manager have said and where he has played his games in spring training.
Yes
Would you ever consider “No.” ??
Maybe
The Mets need a Yes man. Like that guy in all the meetings at work. You know the one.
Theo – Yeah that was my first thought too.
Add the word “Who” and re-arrange the other words, and it makes a lot more sense. The ability to communicate is becoming a lost skill.
“Who is the better value for the Mets, Bichette or Polanco?”
Right?
The better argument is is the Bichette signing better than an Alonso resign and not sure that’s the case
Bichette is getting more than double the salary. Is he twice as good? If Bichette finishes with a 5.0 war and Polanco a 2.0 then yes. Otherwise…
Otherwise what? If the Mets did. Otherwise sign Bichette there were limited other options so that $ likely would have went tk just further enriching Cohen.
Bottom line they are both on shorter deals and neither deal is going to bankrupt th Mets or have Cohen eating cat food.
Otherwise it’s Polanco. Just answering the poll.
It is still not Polanco. MLB is ultimately a business and Bichette has a ton more name recognition and will generate way more $.
At half the salary, Bo would have to provide twice the contribution to make this question mathematically definitive right?
The question mentions value, so salary vs productivity is the only factor
Using ZiPS 3-year projections
Bichette $126/10.4 = 12.1 $/WAR
Polanco $40/3.9 = 10.3 $/WAR
The Polanco deal comes out ahead.
Maybe so, but… that an=mounts to hair-splitting against this club’s payroll.
I lean Bo. He’s been a little more consistent, and he’s usually been durable.
Both are way overpaid
Strange question considering the contracts have already been signed and no games have been played by either player.
Bichette’s contract is a little crazy but one aspect of it is that the Mets kept him off of a division rival (Phillies) with it. So if he’s great, it’s a twofold value. If he’s bad, the negatives are doubled because they saved the Phillies from a bad contract. It’s almost like a double-leveraged gamble.
I’d still lean Polanco being better ‘value’ because being at half the salary, he only has to produce half as much to be equal.
Is the reporting that they signed Bichette merely to keep him off the Phils? That would be interesting. I thought it had to do with losing out on Tucker. It happened very quickly and hastily after that if I recall correctly.
Both things can be true. It’s not like the Mets weren’t in contact with him all offseason.
It happened quickly once Tucker signed but they had contacted him about short term deal long before…so I think it was more of a plan 1A.
They had always considered him for third (they were not in on Bregman at all).
That said, I was team Okamoto but Bichette will be fine.
Valuations are largely moot with payroll at that level.
Who’s to say that Bichette would perform equally as a Philly than a Met. Different circumstances often produce different results.
Bo is going to end up as a very expensive DH/maybe 1st base..playing 3rd will last maybe 20 games…because the errors will cost the team and create resentment in the locker room
I think they give him more than 20 games. The bad defense and resentment in the locker room is more propaganda than reality at this point.
Wonder if he might consider LF/CF? if 3B doesn’t go well. His speed should play up in the OF
With his former speed, maybe. But his speed has declined significantly. In 2025, his sprint speed was only on the 21st percentile overall, and the 10th percentile in the AL. At that level, he would not be an asset in the OF.
For Bichette to be a better value, he would have to put up a higher WAR in 1 year than Polanco in 2 years.
There isn’t a pitcher or situation in baseball that I wouldn’t want to see Bichette in the batters box… His glove work is.. hey, isn’t that Zendaya over there… *points then runs away
Zendaya would prefer to be seen at the US Open tennis that’s held across the street from Citi Field.
Very hard to say. There is a chance bichette is a 3.5 war player and polanco is a 2.5 war player because he has a 125 wrc+, then polanco is a way better value.
However there also is a real chance polanco is a 0.5 war player because he has a 95-100 wrc+ with very bad defense
I wanted Palanco to stay a Mariner, but not for that salary. Twp of his 3 years here were subpar. But Bichette’s deal is even worse. Point of reference: Bichette will be making more than Seattle’s entire elite rotation combined.
Polanco was only a Mariner for two years, not three.
Remind me why Seattle’s rotation is elite again?
I wouldn’t say they’re truly “elite” in the traditional sense. However every one of the pitchers is at least pretty good when healthy and when you have 5 guys who are all pretty good going at the same time you’re going to have a top 5 rotation in baseball.
JP seems like the easy answer in terms of true value
Mr. Eustace: you didn’t mention that at this point Polanco is most likely the DH, with Baty manning first. The premise of the article is doubtful since Bichette is a consistently good hitter while Polanco had a good year last year. If he doesn’t hit this year nobody should be shocked.
Joel from NY: He didn’t mention it because as of right now, that is not the plan. What you are suggesting is merely your speculation. And while it is a possibility, it is not (necessarily) likely, let alone most likely. There are a lot of variables to this equation. If Vientos hits like he did in ’24, and again last July/August, he will get most of the DH at bats. If no one else steps up to claiom RF, then Baty will be given a crack at that spot.
The writer built this piece based on what the club president has said was the plan. For you to fault him on that is baseless.
As of today, Vientos is batting .048 for the spring
@Flanster
No FIFA Silver Slugger Award for Vientos ☹️☹️
Brother geofft: If Benge isn’t playing right field on opening day, I’ll eat broken glass. Vientos? He’s iffy to make the team, let alone be the main DH. The writer didn’t mention Baty at first most likely because he doesn’t follow the Mets closely.
Start chewing.
Joel, Bichette and Polanco have had the same exact OPS+ and wRC+ over the last 3 seasons. If you take just the last 2 Polanco is the better hitter. If you take the last 5 they are the same hitter. They are both good hitters.
Baty will not be playing primarily 1B and we know that because both Stearns and Mendoza have said he will be a platoon player.
You do realize that everything I said is public knowledge, right? You don’t have to make stuff up just because you don’t know what is really happening. You can look it up and listen to the interviews so you have the real information.
Brother Skips’: of course they say he’ll play different positions. He’ll play some third and some second when Semien gets a day off or Bichette has a DH day. And occasionally corner outfield. Far more talented defensively than Polanco anywhere, including first.
Joel, go right on living in your little fantasy world. I choose reality.
Out of 12 games against MLB teams this month including one split squad day, Polanco has started 6 at 1B including 5 of the 6
“home” games. I am quite sure that you have never noticed that most of the players that end up the starters play almost entirely “home” games in spring training. They don’t travel very often.
Baty has 3 starts at 1B this spring with 2 on the road, Clifford has 2, and Arroyo and Vientos each got one. Baty has as many starts in RF as at 1B as well as starts at DH and at 3B. Do you know why? Because he is going to be a utility player in the regular season while Polanco gets the majority of starts at 1B just like the GM and manager have said he will.
Baty has only played 1 position enough to get even a partial gauge of his defensive play, 3B. He has been below league average by DRS and exactly league average by FRV/StatCast.
In 12 seasons in the majors Polanco has never started a game at 1B. You have absolutely no clue what kind of defense he will play there.
So please.
Skip’s: Regarding Baty, you might consider using your eyes and watch him play.
Skip’s: Time to turn away from your metrics for a minute or two.
risingapple.com/ny-mets-first-baseman-starting-bre…
Time to stop reading the opinions of bloggers instead of the stats which are what is real. One freaking play does not mean a thing except to you and that blogger apparently.
If Baty was going to be the 1B, he would have started more games at 1B including all the ones at Clover Field.
Web’s: time will tell, won’t it?
Joey, time has already told the story. That is what the stats are, the story. You are trying to say that a single play tells the story and that is why you are wrong.
Skip: I mean time will tell when we see who gets the starts at first this year
Time has already told the story Joel. Polanco has started most of the games and nearly all at their home park in spring training. For people that pay attention, that is all you need to see.
I think “value” is starting to become a moving target when you consider together they are making about half the salary of the Cincinnati Reds, the team that beat them out for a playoff spot last year.
For teams like the Mets and Dodgers, value is not about finances. The Mets are not going to measure value on some simple formula like WAR divided by salary. It’s going to be on overall team results. Did this player help us make it to the playoffs and the WS. If the Mets miss the playoffs and Bichette and Polanco have career years then the idea of “value” won’t matter. If on the other hand the Mets get to the promised land at long last, even if both players are league average and mild contributors, then their value will have paid off.
What difference does it make who the “better” value is when they both play for the same club?? And how do you define value? Steve Cohen does not see money the same way the rest of us do. He sees it as a tool and resource to be used to get what he wants. He is happy to “overpay” in order to get something he wants.
Statcast does NOT show true value of a players defense. Those numbers are schewed and are an inaccurate assessment. Both Bichette and Ploanco are average defenders, yes. Bichette in particular is NOT that bad. And at new positions in 2026, there is NOT any sample size to even suggest anything more than to give a suggestive picture. I prefer to watch each player learn their new positions, go through the growing pains, wait until the regular season starts before any true discussions begin in this regard. IMO
jug, put down the bottle. When it comes to range and arm, StatCast tells you exactly what happened. Down to the inch or tenth of a MPH. It doesn’t include some of the things that go into being great on defense like positioning or turning DPs, but when it comes to things like range, it is the best measure.
Bichette had the worst range of any SS in the game last season. He was the worst. Since 2019 his range is the worst of all SS.
His arm was in the 36th percentile last season which means that 64% of SS had a better arm than Bichette. In each of the last 3 seasons his throw velocity and accuracy has been in the 37th percentile or lower.
In DRS, which includes everything that StatCast doesn’t, Bichette was the worst defensive SS in MLB last season, over the past 3 seasons, and over his career.
Even if you are a troglodyte who still uses incredibly inaccurate measures like errors, fielding %, range factor, chances, putouts, and assists, Bichette was one of the worst SS in MLB last season. He is not even close to average on defense.
Skip, it was even worse. He was using the opinion of one blogger.
They are equally a waste of good money should have been one of the survey options.
Agreed baty should be at third
As a Blue Jays fan I really like Bichette and wish him well however he is not worth that contract. I’m glad the Jays didn’t resign him, money can be better used elsewhere.
You’re going to love how that Cease contract ages though…
Yeah, that one’s gonna hurt, lol.
Maybe this is said somewhere already but Bichette’s value is dependent upon health. If he is healthy and plays well he will opt out. We know what happens if he is injured.
Value? Polanco, for what he will contribute I definitely think that.
Better value? They paid a premium for both.
Happy with both. Hope they find Baty the at bats because some indicators that he’s going to emerge at last
If talking about value to cost, then Polanco. Bichette is the better player but cost a little over twice as much. Polanco has a career avg war of 3.1 war and 112 ops+ while Bichette has a career avg war of 4.5 and a 121 ops+. 22 million more per season with a slight increase of 1.4 war and 9 ops+ is not a better value. Neither are great at defense with Bichette having an advantage there looking at defensive runs saved. Neither were brought over for their defense
Polanco reminds me a lot of Todd Zeile. If memory serves you well, you’ll remember John Olerud signed with the Mariners and the Mets signed Todd Zeile who I believe was a third baseman to play first base and hit in the middle of the order. He wasn’t too bad but certainly not a middle of the order bat. Polanco is coming off a career year. I would assume that he won’t approach those numbers again. And as far as matching Alonso’s numbers good luck!! Not a great signing in my opinion. But we’ll see.
Polanco had similar years in 2019 and 2021 and has shown that upside before. But he generally follows these types of years up with poor seasons. As a Met fan, I’m hoping that pattern doesn’t continue.
Odd question. They are teammates and this isn’t the county fair livestock show
Deeds. That is all the explanation you need for why something on here is odd or factually incorrect.
Regardless putting Bo behind Soto would be the best move coming from a jays fan. Bo loves hitting with men on base. In 40 games hitting behind Vlad he had 36 rbis. Having a better hunter in Soto ahead of him with his speed this could be a very big year for Bo.
Soto stole some bases, but he’s not known for his speed.
He had 38 not some
Soto was 2nd in MLB in stolen bases. That is not just some. Now he is known for his speed.
I feel like the answer does not matter a lick.
How can paying Bichette a likely 47M for (1) season be even considered here?
Because 47 for a one and done is a whole lot better then paying him 30 million a year for 10 seasons. If he opts out after 2026 he had a great year and will look for the long term deal, probably somewhere other than NY. I love the idea of a ton of money for no more than 3 years. Win/Win for the player and the organization.
Technically it’s over $90M door to the luxury tax.
That’s true. I still like the deal.
Neither are great “values” at their pay but both are good players. Hopefully my team, the Nats, will sign quality free agents like them again someday.
Both of them are just super fantastic players that will help the Mets. I don’t know if the Mets will win the division but they will be fun to watch all year.
Sunshine: “super fantastic”, huh, what, the sun must be shining brightly…
Both are overpaid, but if I had to pick a contract, Polanco is less overpaid.
Past Performance Value? No question its Polanco.
In there internal projections, teams use the last 3 seasons weighted to the most recent. Taking the last 3 seasons of WAR weighted 66% to the most recent.
Polanco = 2.2 WAR for $20 million. $9.09 million per WAR
Bichette = 3.05 WAR for $42 million. $13.077 million per WAR
If you just want to use last season’s it’s still Polanco.
2.6 WAR for $20 million
3.5 WAR for $42 million
Now strictly hitting.
Polanco – 112 GP average
2025 – 134 OPS+
Last 3 seasons weighted – 122.4 OPS+
Last 3 seasons average – 114 OPS+
At the plate they are very similar in overall production
Bichette – 118 GP average
2025 – 129 OPS+
Last 3 seasons weighted – 116.8 OPS+
Last 3 seasons average – 114 OPS+
Polanco has been an ever so slightly better hitter.
If you want to project from those.
Bichette’s WAR will drop slightly in 2026 even if his defense improves from moving to 3B because he is going from SS with a +7 positional adjustment to 3B with a +2 positional adjustment.
Polanco’s WAR will change less because last season he played 89 games out of 138 at DH which has a positional adjustment of -15 to 1B which has a positional adjustment of -9.5. He only had 39 starts between 2B and 3B.
Factor in age related regression for Polanco and no change for Bichette other than the positional adjustment related drop in WAR because his age 29 season should still be within historical peak years and you get a 2.2 WAR for Polanco and a 3.3 WAR for Bichette.
In those numbers I am factoring in an 8-point improvement in DRS for Bichette. Given his lack of range that is highly unlikely, but I used it to show that even with a marked improvement on defense he is still going to see a small drop in WAR with the same offensive production.
So, if you are talking value for the $$ being paid there is no question. Polanco.
If you want to ask who the better player is, that is also no question, Bichette.
This is a joke right? Bo will never equate to “value”
They should’ve just re-signed Alonso.
Mets didn’t want to be stuck with Alonso through his mid-late 30s, and they still would have had a hole at 3B because Baty alone wasn’t cutting it there. Pete could become Chris Davis 2.0 once his bat speed slips, which would be pretty ironic for Baltimore to have made the same mistake twice signing another one dimensional slugging 1B to a massive-for-them contract through his 30s.
Two years of Polanco when he’s still a solid hitter and up to three years of Bichette in his prime age is a better use of their money in the short/medium term. They will hit and hit well. You can’t even make the argument about defense, since Alonso is just an average-at-best 1B in the field. At least Bichette and Polanco can fill in at a couple different positions considering they’d been middle infielders throughout their careers.
Option 4. Neither.
Bo is so overpaid it’s beyond disgusting
So is Kyle Tucker, as he’s merely a 4-5 WAR player and not at all close to being a MVP candidate usually. At this point the top free agents are always going to make stupid money, and it doesn’t matter if they’re actually the best players or not.
Sad, very sad