Mets provide key update on Bo Bichette playing third base after $126 million contract

Billy Heyen

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Mets provide key update on Bo Bichette playing third base after $126 million contract image

The New York Mets signed Bo Bichette for his bat.

But they also need to put him somewhere in the field, and both shortstop and second base are occupied by Gold Glovers, Francisco Lindor and Marcus Semien.

So the Mets have chosen third base as Bichette's spot, and there's at least a bit of risk in that.

Bichette has never played a single professional inning at that position.

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With the Mets, having signed a three-year, $126 million contract, Bichette pretty much has no choice. Clearly, he knew what he was signing up for, and clearly, New York felt Bichette could pull it off.

In a new story in the New York Post, there are at least encouraging signs about Bichette's readiness for the spot.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza had this to say about Bichette, via the Post:

“Watching him moving around third taking grounders, creating angles and the throws to first — I was telling him it looks like you’ve played there before. He’s excited and working hard.”

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That's certainly better than a more negative review, although it seems unlikely that Mendoza would've said anything bad about Bichette's defensive work at this stage of the game.

It was expected during Bichette's free agency that the former Toronto Blue Jays shortstop would eventually move off that position, where he simply wasn't quite good enough.

A number of the teams pursuing Bichette would've likely moved him to second base, but that wasn't an option for the Mets after they traded Brandon Nimmo for Semien.

That left third base, and it'll be the spot Bichette holds down with the Mets. They'll just cross their fingers that it all works out.

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