Mets Formally Introduce No. 19 Bo Bichette

After the Mets made the signing of infielder Bo Bichette official on Tuesday and announced that he would wear No. 19 on the field this season, Bichette was officially introduced by the Mets at Citi Field on Wednesday. Present at the press conference were the president of baseball operations, David Stearns; Bo Bichette; Bo’s agents, Greg Genske; and executive vice president & COO of baseball at Vayner Sports, Joe Mizzo.

Bichette was signed by the Mets on a three-year, $126 million contract with player options for 2027 and 2028. His deal includes a $40 million signing bonus, and he would get a $5 million buyout if he exercises his player option.

Stearns opened up the conference with his introduction of Bichette. “Bo’s accomplishments and talents on the field are very well covered. He’s one of the most complete right-handed hitters in our sport,” described Stearns. He noted Bichette’s incredible knowledge of the game and his incredible baseball aptitude.

Over the course of his career, Bichette has hit .294/.337/.469, with a .806 OPS. With runners in scoring position, he is batting a very impressive career .330, which proves just how disciplined he is at the plate and his firm understanding of needing to get the job done of scoring runs to put a team in position to win, which Stearns also discussed.

“He intensely wants to win,” Stearns said. “It’s the intense desire to win that came through loud and clear (during the discussions with Bichette and his agents). That was the priority for Bo. Regardless of what position he was going to play or what part of the country he was going to play in, winning was the priority for Bo,” he stated.

And for Bichette, he saw the seriousness in Steve Coen and David Stearns hunt to put together a World Series-caliber roster.

As he was introduced by Stearns, donned the No. 19 jersey for the first time in front of family, friends, and the media, and then began his opening remarks describing what the day and this season mean to him. He thanked the Mets for the opportunity and then noted how it became clear to him that after seven seasons as a Blue Jay, he wanted to be a Met, even when it meant moving from shortstop to third base.

“With a lot of prayer and conversations with my family, some friends, and my agents, it was very obvious that I wanted to be a Met. Mr. Cohen and David (Stearns) have put together an organization that is looking to win every single year, has a chance to win a World Series every year, and a roster that backs that up. It’s very exciting to be a part of, said Bo. “Excited to be here and excited to be a Met.”

Bichette reiterated his desire to win and what it means to join an organization that shares that desire. “My first priority’s winning and this organization’s doing everything they can to do that,” he said. “The roster’s great, and on top of that, playing in front of fans like this is a pretty incredible opportunity and I’m excited to get out there,” Bichette noted that the position he would play didn’t factor into the decision either. It was all about winning and the organization he felt called to be part of to do so.

Bichette and second baseman Marcus Semien played together in Toronto in 2021 and the two infielders quickly formed a bond. As part of coming to the Mets, Bichette and Semien will reunite on the infield for the first time since that season. And while Bichette noted he didn’t make a decision solely on Semien being in the organization, he said it certainly was a bonus that didn’t hurt in making the final decision. He called Semien someone who “taught me the ropes, showed me how to be professional, and how to go about the game and someone who I respect a ton, and I’m excited to play with him again,” he said.

Bichette discussed his success with runners in scoring position, along with what he hopes to bring to the lineup, and the answer was all about doing the job and bringing home runners to put numbers on the scoreboard.

“To win ballgames, you have to score runs,” stated Bichette. “That should really be the only goal of an offense, to score runs,” he said. He does that by playing his game. He said what he hopes to bring to the Mets as a player is understanding who he is, in the field, and at the plate. He described his goal as being to “going out and being the best I can and being the toughest out I can be every time I go up to bat. My goal is to go up there and be a competitive at-bat every single time,” said the righty hitter.

At the conclusion of his introductory press conference, Bichette met with Steve Gelbs of SNY and reiterated much of what he had said in his introduction.

He discussed how, though it seemed like the deal came out of nowhere to some fans, the Mets and Bichette’s camp had been in discussions since the offseason began, and it was just last week when the deal came to fruition, and how both parties agreed on it.

“The goal is to be at an extreme level of focus every time. The goal is to get runs across and to get the job done when the scenario is presented,” he stated. That’s how he compete,s and he’s excited to now compete inside Citi Field as his home field as well. He described Citi Field as his favorite stadium to play in as an opponent of the Mets, citing the electric atmosphere, and stated that he is excited to live up to the expectations of the Mets’ home fans.

Bichette closed by talking about and reiterating his excitement to reunite with (Marcus) Semien.

“He’s a special leader, a special person, someone who goes about things the right way. I’m excited to go out there and play with him again and fit in here where I can,” said Bichette.

The Mets have acquired a very talented player in Bichette, and he is ready to put in the work. He knows he has challenges ahead moving from shortstop to third base, but he said he’s ready to get to work and get to know his new position, help his team win, and compete for the “best fans” in the world.

Welcome to New York, third baseman, No. 19, Bo Bichette!

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