It’s been a frenetic week for the New York Mets. Rather than lamenting the loss of Kyle Tucker to the Dodgers, Steve Cohen’s deep pockets have secured one of the best remaining free-agent hitters, landed one of the game’s most electric outfielders via trade, and even added a rising coaching talent from Great Britain.
Expensive Optimism: The Mets Gamble on Bo Bichette
In true Don Corleone style, the Mets made Bo Bichette an offer he couldn’t refuse. Former Reds and Nationals GM Jim Bowden opined that the Mets’ knee-jerk reaction to losing Tucker to the Dodgers resulted in an overpay of $17 million per year. Truth be told, I disagree with Bowden’s takes more than I agree with them, and yes, it seems like a lot of money, but guess what, the Mets can afford it.
The deal is a $126 million, three-year contract, making the longtime Blue Jay one of the top-five earners in 2026.
The 27-year-old hit .311 last season as he helped the Blue Jays come within an Isiah Kiner-Falefa toe of winning the World Series. He will slot into third base at Citi Field in a new-look infield. Jorge Polanco is pencilled in at first – he’s no Pete Alonso – but he’s coming off a decent 26-homer, .821 OPS season. Veteran infielder Marcus Semien will drag his 35-year-old body around second base.
I don’t think Bichette has much experience in the hot corner, if any, so perhaps this infield is a work-in-progress as the Mets will still want to give at-bats to Brett Baty and Mark Vientos, both of whom are more familiar with third base.
White Sox finally traded away Luis Robert Jr.
Every season starts with me thinking that Luis Robert Jr. could ascend into the echelons of outfield royalty, but generally, injuries curtail his campaigns.
Also, every season, the White Sox appear to be shopping the Cuban. I know the Reds have inquired several times, but have shirked away when they heard the asking price.
The Mets have a surplus of infielders, so although trading away Luisangel Acuna hurts New York, they get a dynamic addition to their depleted infield.
Sure, the deal could backfire, but centre fielders don’t come cheap, and especially centre fielders with the game-changing potential that Robert Jr. possesses.
From Haringey to Port St Lucie
Last summer, Great Britain’s U23s clinched the European Championship for the first time. It was in no small part to the irrepressible Jonathon Cramman, whose ability at personalising coaching for every player’s makeup and whose motivational skills could convince even me that I could drill a walk-off line drive.
As predicted in the insightful article after last year’s coaching conference, Cramman has been snapped up by an MLB organisation and will head to the Mets’ Low-A affiliate as their bench coach for the 2026 season.
Absolutely fantastic news. All of us at Bat Flips & Nerds are stoked.
Cramman has a long history with the Great Britain baseball programme, having played for GB at every level and been part of the coaching staff since 2019.
The appointment caps off an incredible 12 months for the Londoner, which has included a European gold medal, coaching a novice to homer in Citi Field, and winning the prestigious European Baseball Coach of the Year Award. Oh, and he also helped guide Great Britain to fifth spot in the Euros in Rotterdam.
That makes Liam Carroll, Drew Spencer, and now Jonathon Cramman – three GB coaches successfully parlaying their international roles into MLB opportunities.
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
What is your opinion? Let us know