Right-hander Chris Bassitt and the Baltimore Orioles are in agreement on a one-year, $18.5 million contract, sources told ESPN on Wednesday, adding a reliable veteran with significant postseason experience to their overhauled rotation.
Bassitt, who turns 37 on Feb. 22, went 11-9 for the Toronto Blue Jays last season, posting a 3.96 ERA with 166 strikeouts in 170⅓ innings. He came out of the bullpen during the American League Championship Series and World Series, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out seven over 8⅔ innings as Toronto fell just short of its first championship since 1993.
The deal, which is pending a physical, includes a $3 million signing bonus and $500,000 in incentives if Bassitt starts 27 games, sources told ESPN. He has done that in each of the past five seasons, during which his 880⅓ innings rank eighth among all MLB pitchers.
One of the last remaining established veterans on the free agent market, Bassitt heads to an Orioles team that has guaranteed more than $200 million in free agent signings. In addition to adding slugger Pete Alonso, closer Ryan Helsley and re-signing right-hander Zach Eflin, the Orioles also traded for right-hander Shane Baz and left fielder Taylor Ward.
In Bassitt, the Orioles landed a starter whose dependability is among his greatest hallmarks. With four consecutive seasons of 30-plus starts and a strikeout rate that has barely budged year to year, sitting between 22.2% and 22.6% each season, Bassitt’s consistency as an innings-eater comes from an eight-pitch mix that makes up for a fastball that sat in the low 90s last year.
Baltimore prioritized starting pitching this winter, with right-hander Kyle Bradish potentially limited in his first full season coming off Tommy John surgery and left-hander Trevor Rogers and right-hander Dean Kremer the only other certain rotation players on the roster. Flanked on the free agent market by Zac Gallen and Lucas Giolito, Bassitt emerged as Baltimore’s target in recent days.
Bassitt is familiar with the cutthroat AL East, having spent the past three seasons with Toronto after signing a three-year, $63 million contract before the 2023 season. While left-handed hitters have had an OPS of .844 against Bassitt over the past two seasons, he has been poison to right-handed hitters, with an OPS of .632.
Over his 12-year major league career with the White Sox, Athletics, Mets and Blue Jays, Bassitt is 83-65 with a 3.64 ERA, 1,191 strikeouts and 409 walks in 1,278⅔ innings. In 23⅔ career playoff innings over three postseasons, Bassitt has a 3.04 ERA.
ESPN’s David Schoenfield contributed to this report.
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