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 was 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?
Photo courtesy of Jim Rassol, Imagn Images
Screw ’em both. Stinkin’ Mets…
I think both of those contracts are 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 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.
Yes
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…
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.
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.
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