How Bo Bichette Choosing the Mets Impacts Braves, NL East

The Atlanta Braves opted not to pursue Bo Bichette; he's in the NL East anyway, and here's how this impacts next season

The Braves are going to be seeing Bo Bichette plenty going forward | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

There's still a physical pending, but the Atlanta Braves are on the verge of having to face an All-Star 13 times per season. The New York Mets have agreed to a three-year deal with infielder Bo Bichette, according to The Athletic's Will Sammon.

With the Mets, Bo Bichette is expected to play third base, league sources said (pending physical).

In a wild turn of events, they get the premium player they coveted on a short term deal (126 million, league sources said).

— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) January 16, 2026

In what is considered a surprise move, they landed him for three-years at $126 million. A lot of high AAV contracts have been popping up over the past 24 hours. Depending on how much health is a factor, this certainly shakes up the division a bit.

Per Bob Nightengale, they beat out the Phillies to land Bichette. The Braves walked away from targeting him some time ago. Now, both have to deal with him.

The Braves have made moves to fortify the roster after a down year. The Mets have done some major overhauls, and the Phillies are still a pretty good team, even with the loss of starting Ranger Suarez. The Marlins and Nationals are likely still the bottom two teams in the NL East, but they have pieces to be a headache.

Let's take a moment to see how this latest addition helps shake up the division.

Mets Add Offense, But Is It Enough?

Bichette doesn't replace Pete Alonso, but he helps put some juice back into the lineup. In 139 games last season, he batted .311 with 18 home runs, 94 RBI,s along with 44 doubles and an .840 OPS.

He's a good hitter when healthy. His glove wasn't cut out for shortstop, and he looked much better at second base during the Blue Jays' run to the World Series. However, he's not going to be playing second base. That's Marcus Semien's spot. He's expected to take over for Brett Baty at third base. There is a major question mark to see if he plays cleanly when moving over to the hot corner.

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Another question mark is his health. He is going to miss time, but will it be 20 games or 80 games? We'll have no choice but to wait and see.

This Mets team is going to look pretty different. Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz, Brandon Nimmo, and Jeff McNeil are out. Bichette, Devin Williams, Jorge Polanco and Semein are in. This isn't a team that screams better. There are names. They could still be a solid team. But they don't look better.

How This Impacts Braves, NL East

The Braves have an extra bat to think about when preparing to face the Mets. In a small sample size of 19 games, Bichette has performed well against the Braves. He has batted .282 with a .748 OPS in that span. Those aren't exactly All-Star numbers, but he hasn't been a pushover either.

Overall, a healthy Braves team should still have the pieces to handle the Mets again in 2026. Even a battered and bruised team still finished 8-5 against the Mets, and this team doens't look as good as the one that spiraled out at the end of the season.

Both the Braves and the Phillies have better starting rotations than the Mets. That's with the Braves still needing to add and the Phillies missing a key arm from last season. The Mets have potential young arms, such as Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat, but they still have to prove something.

While this is happening, a potential move is brewing for the Braves in their starting rotation. Atlanta Braves on SI has gotten word that they're closing in on a deal for Freddy Peralta. The deal is nearly done, but there are key details that still need to be hammered out. If that trade becomes a reality, that makes what the Mets are up to less of a factor for the Braves.

Both the Braves and the Phillies made moves to bolster the bullpen. The Braves added Robert Suarez, and the Phillies added Brad Keller. The Mets added Devin Williams, but he should have been a complement to Diaz, not a replacement. Luke Weaver is a fine addition, but that won't exactly absorb the blow of losing Tyler Rogers to the Blue Jays.

The Phillies also re-signed Kyle Schwarber to keep the middle of the order intact. They still have Bryce Harper and Trea Turner, and the latter received MVP votes along with Schwarber. JT Realmuto is back in a Phillies uniform, and Brandon Marsh and Alec Bohm continue to provide solid continuity.

The Phillies made the effort to add Bichette into the mix. It didn't workout. Still, the lineup is pretty good. The Phillies are the team of greater concern to the Braves.

In the end, while the Mets improved the team by adding Bichette, the Braves aren't in a worse position because of it. They're going to vie for a playoff spot. The division is still the Phillies' to lose. They've won it back-to-back years now; the Braves will have to prove they can take it back. They made moves to show they're up for the task. The Mets, not so much, the deeper you dig.

The Braves may not have made an offensive addition that's as big as Bichette, but the lineup is already in a better spot when healthy. I keep having to say "when healthy," so that should show you which factors should have a bigger impact on the NL East compared to the Mets' addition of Bichette.