Veteran right-hander Bassitt agrees to a one-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles

According to today's report from the MLB official website, an insider revealed that veteran right-hander Chris Bassitt has reached a one-year, $18.5 million contract agreement with the Baltimore Orioles, although the team has yet to officially confirm the signing.

After a disappointing 2024 season with the Toronto Blue Jays, Bassitt bounced back strongly in 2025, appearing in 32 games (31 starts) and posting a 3.96 ERA with an ERA+ of 108. During the Blue Jays’ playoff run to Game 7 of the World Series, he pitched reliably out of the bullpen, making 7 appearances totaling 8.2 innings, allowing only 1 run on 3 hits, issuing 2 walks, and striking out 10 batters.

Bassitt received a qualifying offer from the New York Mets in the 2022 season, which means he was not eligible for another qualifying offer this offseason. Therefore, signing him does not involve draft pick compensation or any signing penalties.

Turning 37 in the 2026 season, Bassitt has proven over 11 major league seasons that he still has plenty of fuel left in the tank. This veteran right-hander is not a high-strikeout pitcher; his strikeout rate has remained steady around 22% over the last four years, but he excels at inducing weak contact from hitters.

Last season, Bassitt’s solid contact rate of 36.6% ranked in the 80th percentile league-wide, and his average exit velocity of 87.7 mph placed him in the 85th percentile. His ground ball rate of 46.1% was also above the league average.

Bassitt primarily relies on a sinker and boasts an extensive pitch arsenal including a cutter, curveball, four-seam fastball, slider, splitter, slurve, and changeup. In 2025, his most effective pitch was the curveball, used 16.3% of the time, against which hitters posted just a .170 batting average.

Bassitt was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 16th round of the 2011 draft and made his major league debut with them in 2014. During that offseason, he was traded to the Athletics along with Marcus Semien and others. After undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing the entire 2017 season, he made a strong comeback to become one of the top starting pitchers in the American League.

From 2018 to 2021, Bassitt posted a 3.23 ERA (ERA+ 130) for the Athletics and was named an All-Star in 2021. Before the 2022 season, in the final year of his team control, he was traded to the Mets. He performed excellently for New York, starting 30 games with a 3.42 ERA. That offseason, he signed with the Blue Jays.

Though now in his late thirties, Bassitt has demonstrated that he remains an above-average member of a pitching rotation. As shown in last October’s postseason, he also has the versatility to adapt and contribute effectively out of the bullpen if needed.