Mets already seem to be changing plans with former Blue Jays star Bo Bichette

When the New York Mets made their biggest splash this offseason in signing former Toronto Blue Jays star Bo Bichette, the Mets had planned to deploy Bichette at third base. That was because New York already has an elite shortstop in place with Francisco Lindor, while their acquisition of veteran Marcus Semien by trade also this winter has him destined for second base already.

However, those plans by the Mets for the former Blue Jays infielder seemed to be changing already after a recent development. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza had Bichette surprisingly slotted in at shortstop this past Friday in their game against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Mets slide former Blue Jays star Bo Bichette over to shortstop

Mendoza casually explained that it was important to get the 28-year-old infielder some reps there so that he could potentially be their backup shortstop. The Mets manager would go on to acknowledge that Bichette was open to that from the start, knowing that third base was his priority, but was willing to play at other positions based on what the team expects of him.

So apparently it doesn’t sound like Bichette will just be a fixture at the hot corner for New York, as he could be moved around to play at short or even second if needed. Perhaps the Mets are starting to take notice of his potential deficiency in playing defense, especially after debuting in Spring Training for New York making plays that left a lot to be desired. For the Blue Jays and their fans, they have certainly been used to it as they have known about it for a long time during his seven seasons with the ballclub.

Despite all that, at least the Mets are enjoying the offensive side of things from Bichette thus far, as he has compiled a strong .324 average, .881 OPS, along with six runs scored, three doubles, one home run, eight RBIs, five walks and just five strikeouts in 15 total games this spring. Taking a quick look at his game from the defensive standpoint, at least he has only committed one error to date, but sports a less-than-stellar .938 fielding percentage over 16 total chances.

Nevertheless, Bichette will do his best to dispatch his reputation of being a defensive liability from his days with the Blue Jays as he looks forward to helping the Mets return to legitimate contention in 2026.