After a small break from free agent signings, things are beginning to heat up around MLB in terms of signings, with spring training less than a month away. Three big dominoes fell just in the last few days.
First, left-hander pitcher Ranger Suarez is leaving the Philadelphia Phillies for the Boston Red Sox. He agreed to a five-year, $130 million deal. Then, Kyle Tucker landed with the Los Angeles Dodgers on a four-year, $240 million deal. The two-time World Series champs are on a path to a three-peat.
On Friday, just over 12 hours after Tucker agreed with the Dodges, the next big domino to fall was Bo Bichette. Out of nowhere, the New York Mets swooped in and landed him on a three-year, $126 million deal. Not a bad pivot from Tucker. Truth be told, it was a need the Mets needed to address after a rather rough offseason to date.
As there always is with free agent signings and trades, there are going to be winners and losers. Gabe Lacques of USA Today listed some winners and losers of the Bichette signing. As far as the Atlanta Braves are concerned, it wasn’t good news.
Atlanta Braves listed as a “Loser” of Bo Bichette Signing With the Mets
If it wasn’t going to be the Mets, it was likely going to be the Phillies. Bichette was destined for the National League East. The Braves were going to have to deal with him one way or another. It’s going to be New York rather than Philadelphia. Lacques explained why he listed Atlanta as “Losers.”
“It’s getting increasingly difficult for one of the game’s best-run organizations to keep up with the Northeast behemoths,” wrote Lacques. “The Braves were considered a solid candidate for Bichette’s services at the start of the winter. They opted to retain shortstop Ha-Seong Kim. Totally fine. Really good player.”
The Braves were one of several teams considered a solid candidate for Bichette, but were they truly a threat to the bigger market teams? Atlanta making that kind of financial commitment in the short term didn’t feel realistic. However, Bichette to the Mets creates a difficult path for Atlanta in 2026.
Mets Signing Bo Bichette Makes Braves Playoff Path More Difficult
Bichette adds firepower to the New York lineup that they lost when Pete Alonso signed with the Baltimore Orioles. The 27-year-old Bichette slashed .311/.357/.483 with 18 home runs and drove in 94 for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2025. He suffered an injury in early September that kept him out of most of the Blue Jays’ postseason run in October. Lacques believes it’ll be hard for the Braves to keep up offensively with the Mets and Phillies.
“Yet it will be hard to match the Mets’ and Phillies’ firepower, especially since Atlanta’s 2026 calculus likely bakes in bounceback seasons from the likes of Austin Riley and Jurickson Profar. Their margin for error is looking pretty thin,” Lacques wrote.
Atlanta will be the third-best team in the NL East going into 2026. The Miami Marlins, however, might not be too far behind them despite trading two pitchers. It is easy to see why Lacques listed the Atlanta Braves as a loser with Bichette landing in the NL East with New York.
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