Ernie Clement laments the loss of Bo Bichette to the New York Mets

Fans of the Toronto Blue Jays got their first sight of Bo Bichette in his new colors as the New York Mets introduced him in a press conference Wednesday (January 21) afternoon. After signing a three-year $126 million deal with the team in Queens, the Blue Jays faithful need to begin getting used to Bichette in orange and blue.

But it's not just the fans who need to adjust, so do his former teammates. And as we learned from the new everyday second baseman for the Blue Jays, it's going to take a while to make that adjustment.

Ernie Clement says goodbye to Bo Bichette

Ernie Clement joined the JD Bunkis podcast on Tuesday (January 20) afternoon to discuss the departure of Bichette. In his words, he mentioned his current feelings and a hint as to why Bichette left.

"Obviously, it sucks seeing him go. It's going to be really weird not having Bo Bichette in the Blue Jays locker room," said Clement. He also emphasized Bichette's thought process following the World Series.

"I think he knew that he had some decision to make after the season. He was so engulfed and trying to win the World Series that it finally hit him. 'Oh, now I have to make some serious decisions here coming up.' He had all these things that he had after, but he was so in the moment and mindful and present in our games. He played so well.

"I think it kind of hit him, and I'm really happy for him. He deserves every penny he gets. He's a heck of a player."

Bichette, of course, was nearly the deciding factor in Game 7 of the 2025 World Series, when he launched that epic three-run home run in the bottom of the third inning. Clement believes that the mindset of winning and learning how to win in Toronto will benefit him in Queens.

"I think [Bichette] realized that baseball is much more enjoyable when you're winning. He's totally learned how to win, and he's going to fit right over there."

Interestingly enough the Blue Jays also learned how to win over the last year, and part of that is thanks to the emergence of Clement, who had a breakout season playing multiple positions around the diamond. He was nominated for two Gold Glove awards (at third, and as a utility fielder) and he produced a 4.3 bWAR while hitting .277/.313/.398.

He was also a big reason why the Blue Jays managed to make it to the Fall Classic as he hit .411/.416/.562 in 18 playoff games and set the record for the most hits in a single postseason ever with 30. He did a lot of that in Bo's absence as he dealt with a knee injury through most of September and the first two rounds of the playoffs.

The Blue Jays got to the World Series for the first time in 32 years after running the playoff gauntlet in October and they hope to do the same thing in 2026 in their American League Championship defense, and this time they'll have to do the whole thing without Bichette.