Scouts and execs on why Bo Bichette could be just what the Mets’ offense needs

When the Mets agreed to a deal with Bo Bichette barely more than 12 hours after losing out on Kyle Tucker, it was easy enough to deem it a panic move by David Stearns, a quick pivot to lock up the best pure hitter remaining on the free agent market, even if he wasn’t an ideal fit defensively.

But the more I heard about the signing of Bichette on Friday from scouts and executives, the more it seems only fair to give kudos to Stearns for signing a proven clutch hitter who could have a huge impact on the Mets’ often exasperating offense, and for being prepared to do it so quickly.

“That doesn’t happen unless Stearns had already laid the groundwork for a deal,” was the way one executive put it. “I know Mets fans are down on him, but you have to give him credit. As much as they wanted Tucker, Stearns was ready when it didn’t happen. I’m sure Bichette was on their radar. He only turns 28 next year.”

Fair enough. Especially with reports out of Philadelphia that the Phillies were ready to sign Bichette to a long-term deal before the Mets swooped in with their short-term offer of $42 million per year for three years, with opt-outs after each of the first two seasons.

That alone, taking Bichette away from the hated Phillies, should move the needle for some Mets’ fans.

I’m not saying Stearns is suddenly off the hook for this mostly disappointing offseason. As I wrote Thursday night, letting Pete Alonso walk will never completely make sense to me, especially when he’d made it clear he was willing to transition into the DH role.

And the Mets still haven’t addressed their top priority of the winter, the need to upgrade their starting rotation.

But the signing of Bichette at least offers hope and intrigue for what else Stearns may do in the coming weeks, as well as serves as a reminder that he deserves the entire offseason before passing judgment, even if this baseball winter seems even more endless than usual.

That said, the Bichette signing comes with a lot of moving parts. Defensively, he ranked at the very bottom, range-wise, among shortstops, according to MLB Statcast defensive metrics, so it remains to be seen how he’ll do at third base.

At least from afar, he doesn’t fit the Stearns narrative of making run-prevention a priority, and he also displaces Brett Baty, who could now be something of a super-utility man, perhaps splitting time with Jorge Polanco at first base, or be used as a trade chip for pitching.

On the other hand, Bichette may be just what the Mets need to bring more consistency to their offense, especially in clutch situations.

His overall numbers during his years in Toronto with the Blue Jays make it clear that he has been one of the better hitters in baseball, but what jumps out in looking at his numbers is how he has excelled in the clutch.

For example, in 771 career plate appearances with runners in scoring position, he has hit .330 with a .527 slugging percentage and a .904 OPS.

That’s no small sample size.

Even more impressively, in 301 plate appearances with RISP and two outs — the ultimate clutch situation — Bichette has hit .310 with a .531 slugging percentage and a .904 OPS.

He also has a career .318 batting average with an .890 OPS in what Baseball-Reference defines as high leverage situations.

For a Mets’ team whose RISP failures often seemed to overshadow whatever individual numbers players were putting up in recent years, Bichette could be an important difference-maker.

And two scouts I spoke to say those numbers reflect what they’ve observed about him over the years.

“He’s a gamer you want at the plate in big spots,” said one scout. “He can hit elite pitching.”

Added the other: “He’s a very good situational hitter, especially in run-producing at-bats, because he understands how pitchers are trying to get him out and he makes adjustments in the box. He’s a smart hitter.”

In addition, scouts and execs said Bichette will be a better fit in New York than Tucker would have been.

“Bichette grew up as a big leaguer’s son,” said one exec, referring to his father, Dante Bichette. “Everything you hear is that he’s a good clubhouse guy who brings day-to-day intensity to the field and really burns to win. What you hear about Tucker is that he may not have been a good fit in New York because he’s a low-key guy.’’

So who knows, maybe losing out on Tucker will turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the Mets.

Of course, they’re only guaranteed one year of Bichette, as they gave him opt-outs after the first and second year of his contract. But if he wants to opt out of $42 million per year next winter, it will mean he had a great season and will still be young enough for Stearns to justify giving him a longer-term deal.

In any case, Bichette certainly seems like a step in the right direction toward helping Mets fans move on from all that has gone wrong this offseason while finally creating some enthusiasm for the 2026 season.

Still, Stearns has more work to do, obviously. The Mets still need an outfielder, and most importantly, they need to upgrade the starting rotation. They’ll lose a draft choice by signing Bichette, because he turned down the Blue Jays’ qualifying offer, which might make it less likely that they’ll sign Framber Valdez, another free agent attached to a QO.

Can Stearns make a trade with his old team, the Milwaukee Brewers, for Freddy Peralta? The right-hander is available, one year away from free agency, and he’d give the Mets a top-of-the-rotation presence to go with Nolan McLean and what otherwise looms as a lot of question marks.

With that in mind, signing Bichette won’t change the complexion of this offseason by itself. But for Stearns, it was a win he desperately needed.