"Between the two, Bichette is the superior offensive talent. Apart from an injury-plagued 2024 season in which he only played 81 games, Bichette has been at least 20% better than average by wRC+ in every campaign since 2019. Last year, he tied for the 25th-lowest strikeout rate (14.5%) among 145 qualified hitters in the league."
"Polanco is coming off his own career season. In 524 plate appearances with the Mariners, he hit .265/.326/.495 with a 132 wRC+ that nearly matched Bichette's performance. Polanco also cut his strikeout rate in half, going from 29.2% in 2024 to 15.6% in 2025."
"Neither one of them is a strong defender. Bichette has exclusively played shortstop during the regular season, only venturing to second base during the 2025 World Series (and only because he was injured). His range graded out in just the first percentile in 2025, while Statcast took negative views of his arm strength and sprint speed as well."
The Mets acquired Bo Bichette and Jorge Polanco during their offseason overhaul to strengthen their infield. Bichette signed a three-year, $126MM deal with opt-outs, while Polanco received a two-year, $40MM contract. Bichette is the superior offensive talent, maintaining at least 20% above-average performance since 2019, with a career-best 134 wRC+ in 2025 and a low 14.5% strikeout rate. Polanco posted a career season with a 132 wRC+, significantly reducing his strikeout rate from 29.2% to 15.6%. However, both players are weak defenders. Bichette exclusively played shortstop with poor defensive metrics, while the Mets will transition him to third base and Polanco to first base and DH.
#mets-offseason-acquisitions #infield-upgrades #defensive-repositioning #offensive-performance-metrics #free-agent-signings
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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