Bo Bichette will return to the Mets in 2027. Will Sammon of The Athletic reported that the two-time All-Star is bypassing the first opportunity to opt out of his three-year deal. MLB Trade Rumors (Anthony Franco) says Bichette will lock in a $42MM salary for next year. MLB.com's Anthony DiComo, Yahoo Sports and Sportsnet carried the same news. Outlets differ on the wording. MLB Trade Rumors calls it exercising a player option, while MLB.com says he is "bypassing" the opt-out.

MLB Trade Rumors adds the next piece of the structure. Bichette can opt out again after 2027, or he can trigger another $42MM player option. The decision has only been pushed back a year.

Yahoo's Jason Owens offers a motive. He writes that with a lockout looming and Bichette coming off a relatively down season, Bichette reportedly chose the security of $42 million over the risk of entering a work stoppage without a contract. That is Yahoo's reading of the situation. The summaries we have do not quote Bichette or the Mets on it. A second Yahoo item puts it more bluntly, citing his 96 wRC+.

BenchScout's numbers fit that description. Bichette played 160 games in 2026 and hit .260 with a .702 OPS, 18 homers, 166 hits and 78 RBI. In 2025 he hit .311 with an .840 OPS in 139 games, and he had 181 hits and 94 RBI. The home run total was 18 both years. The drop came in average and slugging: his slugging percentage was .390 this year against .483 in 2025. He struck out 127 times against 49 walks, compared with 91 strikeouts and 40 walks the year before. His OBP was .312.

The Mets he is staying with finished 74-88, fifth in the NL East and 20 games behind first-place Atlanta, with a run differential of -32. They lost 6-4 at Washington on Sunday, Sept. 27, to end the year. The loss followed a 7-1 win and a 7-6 loss in the same series.

The next step is Bichette's 2027 option. Sammon's report does not say whether either side has discussed a longer arrangement. Under the terms MLB Trade Rumors lays out, Bichette will choose again after 2027 between opting out and another $42MM player option. That choice will come after another year of play, and the lockout Yahoo mentions could affect the offseason before it.