Bo Bichette excited about challenge of moving to hot corner with Mets

NEW YORK (AP) - From hitting in the clutch to testing free agency, Bo Bichette has soaked up plenty of baseball advice from his big league dad over the years.

Dante Bichette doesn't have much to offer about handling the hot corner, though.

After signing a $126 million, three-year contract with the New York Mets, the younger Bichette was formally introduced by the team Wednesday and pulled on a No. 19 jersey at a packed Citi Field news conference.

A two-time All-Star shortstop with the Toronto Blue Jays, Bichette will shift to third base with the Mets, who have Francisco Lindor entrenched at shortstop. Bichette said he hasn't played third since travel ball as a teenager.

"I'm excited for the challenge. I mean, it's just like anything else: It's going to take work to be good at something, and I'm willing to put in that work and we'll get after it," he said.

"I think there's different positioning, different plays you have to deal with at third base that I'm going to have to get used to and learn, but I think that's all attainable."

Dante Bichette, in attendance Wednesday along with other family members, was a four-time All-Star outfielder from 1988-2001. Known much more for his bat than glove, he played one inning at third base for Milwaukee in 1991.

"I didn't know he did that. I had no idea," Bo Bichette said with a grin. "That would be interesting to watch."

Household jabs aside, the new-look Mets are confident Bichette can make the switch successfully.

He didn't grade well at shortstop last year, and Bichette entered free agency this offseason willing to move to second or third. He plans to call former Toronto teammate Matt Chapman, a five-time Gold Glove winner at the hot corner, to get some thoughts about manning third.

"This is a player who is universally respected for his aptitude and his work ethic on the field," Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said about Bichette. "And so when you combine those two things it generally gives you comfort that they can make adjustments, make changes, and Bo is very confident that he's going to be able to do this, and everything we've seen backs that up."

Bichette spurned the NL East rival Philadelphia Phillies to sign with the Mets and gives them a proven hitter with a potent right-handed bat to help complement lefty slugger Juan Soto.

"I'm not unaware that New York is a challenge. I'm not shying away from it. I'm ready for it and I'm excited for it," Bichette said. "These fans hold you accountable and I think as a player wanting to be your best self, that's only a positive."

Bichette batted .311 with 18 home runs, 94 RBIs and an .840 OPS in 139 games last year for the Blue Jays, who fell one win short of a World Series title.

He hit a three-run homer off Shohei Ohtani in Game 7 of the Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and is a .330 career hitter with runners in scoring position - the third-best mark in the majors among qualified hitters since 2019.

Bichette batted .381 with RISP last season.

"I don't know if my eyes light up or anything like that, but definitely probably get a little bit more focus," he said. "And my dad taught me a lot about it. That's all I heard about growing up was driving in runs, so I've put a lot of work into it."

Bichette, who turns 28 in March, gets a $40 million signing bonus payable March 15 and a $2 million salary this year. He has $42 million player options for 2027 and 2028. If he declines either option, he would receive a $5 million buyout, payable in $1 million installments each July 1 from 2036-40.

"We had a lot of conversations about the different structure of the deal, and Bo had his choice of long-term deals, shorter-term deals, opt outs," agent Greg Genske said. "His priority was finding a place where he felt like he could get better as a player and have a chance to compete for championships."

New York signed right-handed reliever Luis García to a $1.75 million, one-year contract. He can earn $1.25 million in performance bonuses for games pitched: $100,000 for 25, $150,000 each for 30 and 35, $175,000 for 40, $200,000 for 45, $225,000 for 50 and $250,000 for 55.

García, who turns 39 this month, went 2-2 with a 3.42 ERA and two saves in 58 combined appearances last season with the Dodgers, Nationals and Angels. He is 28-30 with a 4.07 ERA and 17 saves in 13 major league seasons.

To open a spot for García on the 40-man roster, infielder Tsung-Che Cheng was designated for assignment.