Every winter comes with a surprise name linked to the New York Mets, and this year might bring one of the biggest curveballs yet. While most of the attention has centered on the team’s efforts to keep Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz in Queens, an intriguing parallel storyline has started bubbling: Bo Bichette could be a legitimate target.

It’s a bold idea. Maybe even unrealistic on first read. But the deeper you look, the more it starts to feel like the type of aggressive swing a big-market franchise takes when it’s tired of watching its offense sputter.

A hitter built for any lineup

Bichette isn’t just good. At his best, he’s one of the most complete hitters in the sport. The 27-year-old played 139 games this past season, battled through some injuries, and still put together a .311/.357/.483 line with 18 homers and 94 RBIs. You don’t sleepwalk your way to that kind of production.

The Mets have been trying to sprinkle more high-contact hitters into the lineup for years, and Bichette fits that mold better than almost anyone available. His approach is simple and violent in all the right ways: he swings often, barrels often, and finds ways to impact games even when the swing isn’t perfect.

He’s the type of hitter who smooths out rough patches in a lineup. The type managers don’t worry about in cold stretches. The type pitchers hate seeing with runners in scoring position.

What it means for Jeff McNeil

Adding Bichette would immediately force the Mets to reconsider their plans at second base. Jeff McNeil wasn’t bad this past season. He just wasn’t good enough to comfortably hand him the job for another year without asking some hard questions.

He hit .243/.335/.411 with 12 homers and 54 RBIs, a respectable season on paper but one that continued a downward trend dating back to 2023. At 33 years old, McNeil is at the stage of his career where sudden drop-offs become more common. The Mets know it, and they’ve already been acting like a team that expects volatility.

Bichette changes the conversation entirely. He’s younger. He’s more dynamic. He’s a proven star who gives you a second impact bat to pair with Alonso and Juan Soto — assuming the Mets seal that deal.

The cost, the fit, and the reality check

Any pursuit of Bichette comes with an obvious hurdle: money. A six-year deal in the $175 million range, about $29 million annually, is the expected starting point. That’s a massive commitment for a team that still needs pitching, still needs bullpen help, and still has to decide whether it can pay Alonso the $150-plus million he’s likely seeking.

Can the Mets realistically sign Alonso, pursue an ace, overhaul their bullpen, and add Bichette?

Sure. Steve Cohen can afford anything. But even for him, prioritization matters.

The fit is easy to see. Bichette alongside Francisco Lindor gives the Mets one of the most dangerous middle infields in baseball. He solves their contact problem, adds sneaky pop, and stabilizes the top half of the lineup.

The question is whether they want to do all of that while pushing their payroll into uncharted territory.

A star worth stretching for?

If the Mets want to build an offense that can survive October pitching, they’re going to need more than one style of hitter. Alonso brings power. Juan Soto brings raw force. Lindor brings steadiness.

Bichette brings something different — the night-in, night-out reliability that makes an entire lineup harder to game-plan against.

The Mets have big decisions to make, and not all of them will be easy. But if they’re serious about turning the page and building a sustainable winner, Bichette isn’t just a luxury addition.

He might be the exact kind of hitter who changes the way the rest of the roster fits together.