The Mets just made a shocking move by signing Bo Bichette to a three-year, $126 million deal. But the most important thing is that this deal takes out a major competitor in the race for Cody Bellinger. The Yankees thought they had Bellinger after Kyle Tucker chose the Dodgers. Now? They are running out of time to make the reunion that could save their season happen.

Will Sammon of The Athletic reported on Friday that “The New York Mets and Bo Bichette agree on a three-year deal, pending physical, league source tells The Athletic.” This happened quickly after Tucker turned down the Mets. On Thursday night, he signed a four-year, $240 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The timing shows how quickly the free agent market changed for both the Mets and their American League rivals, the Yankees.

The Mets’ commitment to Bichette is based on his credentials. The Athletic’s Top 50 Big Board ranked the 27-year-old as the second-best free agent. He got there by showing he could play well.

In 2025, he bounced back in a big way after a bad 2024, hitting .311 with 3.5 WAR. This was a big change from his.225 average and .3 bWAR the year before. He was picked for the All-Star Game several times and was consistently great with the Toronto Blue Jays, where he led the American League in hits twice.

The Mets’ signing of Bichette puts more pressure on the Yankees to get a deal done with Bellinger. The two sides have been talking about contract terms for a long time. The Yankees want five years, but Bellinger and agent, Scott Boras, want seven years. This has led to what sources call an “impasse.” The Yankees’ failure to get either Tucker or meet Bellinger’s demands has changed the balance of power in the outfield market.

Cody Bellinger was traded to the Yankees from the Chicago Cubs in December 2024 and then spent the 2025 season as a key part of the Yankees’ lineup. But the reunion is not working out so far.

“Nobody has come close to meeting Boras’s demands,” said inside Jack Curry last month. The situation is still the same.

The Mets’ successful signing of Bichette means they no longer have to aggressively pursue Bellinger, which means they don’t have to make what looked like a legitimate competing offer. The Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies, who were both seen as front-runners for Bellinger’s services, now need to step up their efforts to get the All-Star outfielder.

But this signing of Bichette would not have happened without the Kyle Tucker setback. Tucker turned down a four-year deal worth more than $50 million a year from the Mets and chose to play in Los Angeles instead. That rejection made the Mets change course quickly, which led to the Bichette deal that changes the whole Bellinger picture.

The Mets’ new powerhouse lineup with Bo Bichette

Be careful, National League. The Mets just put together a lineup that could scare any team they play against. New York made something special by signing Bichette and keeping Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor. It hurt to lose Pete Alonso, but this new trio gives the Mets the tools they need to win games in October.

Bichette is in the middle of the order, at third base. If you put Lindor at shortstop and Soto in right field, you’ll have three All-Stars in a row. If you put Jorge Polanco at first and Marcus Semien at second, pitchers will have a nightmare. Every batter on that infield can hit for average and hit it hard.

The numbers tell the whole story. Last year, Bichette hit 181 times in only 139 games. In 2021 and 2022, he led the American League in hits with 191 and 189, respectively. This man never strikes out. He puts the ball in play and lets his speed and strength do the rest.

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The twist is that Bichette can get out of the deal after years one and two. He could walk away at 28 and try free agency again next winter if he keeps hitting like this in 2026. The Mets’ lineup is ready to win it all right now.