Bo Bichette downplays uncertainty about Mets future with trade deadline looming

PHILADELPHIA — As someone with no-trade protection in his contract, Bo Bichette controls whether he will remain with the Mets beyond Aug.3.

Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets.Bichette has indicated he’s in no hurry to leave.

And yet, the third baseman stopped short Saturday of saying he would block any trade proposal that involves him.“That hasn’t been brought to my attention right now, so I don’t have an answer,” Bichette said before the Mets lost to the Phillies 6-1 at Citizens Bank Park.Bichette is a long shot to be traded given he can opt out of his three-year, $126 million contract after the season.The uncertainty of his status affects his trade value.His offensive surge over the past six weeks has increased the likelihood he will opt out.

But Bichette said he doesn’t anticipate a decision on that front until after the season.“I signed here because I believed in the talent here and it’s exciting to play for an organization that was trying to win,” Bichette said.“The reason I signed the contract was to have freedom for my own career, so I guess it would be too early to tell.”Bichette entered the day with an .844 OPS over his previous 36 games dating to June 3.

It’s the kind of right-handed production that would be hard to replace next season if Bichette departed.The Mets have plenty of pitchers that figure to move before the trade deadline, but most of the position players they might look to deal have significant dollars remaining on their contracts.Bichette was asked if the direction the organization appears headed will factor into whether he opts out of his contract.“I think there’s a lot of positive things here, and also some things that haven’t gone right,” he said.“Obviously, that is something everybody can see, but everything will be taken into account.”What are the positives?“There’s a lot of young players th...