The Baltimore Orioles and veteran right-handed pitcher Chris Bassitt have agreed to a one-year contract worth $18.5 million, pending a physical. The deal includes a $3 million signing bonus and the potential for an additional $500,000 if Bassitt reaches 27 starts.
Baltimore opened a spot on their 40-man roster after infielder Bryan Ramos was claimed off waivers by the St. Louis Cardinals.
Orioles President of Baseball Operations Mike Elias has made a habit of bringing in experienced starting pitchers on one-year deals in recent seasons. The team saw success with Kyle Gibson in 2023, but reunions with Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano didn’t pan out as hoped. Bassitt, nearing his 37th birthday, is expected to provide a more reliable floor than those previous additions.
Bassitt didn’t consistently reach 100 innings in a season until 2019, but has since become a dependable mid-rotation arm. He’s posted an ERA above 4.00 only once in the last seven years, with a 2.29 mark in the shortened 2020 season being a notable outlier. He’s proven to be a reliable option, consistently logging heavy workloads and allowing between three and four earned runs per nine innings. Bassitt has surpassed 150 innings pitched in each of the last five seasons, ranking eighth in total innings over that stretch.
The veteran has combined durability with quality starts, posting a 3.96 ERA last season with underlying metrics slightly above average. He struck out 22.6% of batters faced while maintaining a 7.1% walk rate across 170 1/3 innings. While his per-pitch whiff rate is slightly below average, he’s consistently struck out between 22-23% of opposing hitters over the past four seasons.
Bassitt’s velocity has dipped slightly as he’s aged, averaging 91.6 mph on his sinker last season – a narrow career low. Yet, that’s still close to the 92-93 mph range he maintained throughout much of his career. The sinker is his primary pitch, and Statcast identified eight distinct pitches he used at least occasionally during his final season with the Toronto Blue Jays. He generally limits hard contact by relying on a sinker, cutter, and curveball.
One potential concern is Bassitt’s recent struggles against left-handed hitters. While he previously handled them well, lefties have hit .284/.360/.483 against him over more than 1200 plate appearances since the start of 2023. In contrast, he’s limited right-handed batters to a .224/.286/.323 line over a similar number of at-bats.
Bassitt is coming off a three-year, $63 million contract with the Blue Jays, where he provided 541 1/3 innings of 3.89 ERA ball during the regular season. He made only one start on the injured list last September due to minor back inflammation, returning for the AL Championship Series after missing the Division Series against the Yankees. He emerged as a trusted leverage arm in October, firing 8 2/3 innings of one-run ball with 10 strikeouts during Toronto’s playoff run.
Now, Bassitt will seem to replicate that success with the Orioles, who are aiming for a similar turnaround after a 75-87 showing last season. Baltimore has been aggressive this offseason, signing Pete Alonso to a five-year, $155 million deal. They also traded oft-injured starter Grayson Rodriguez for righty power bat Taylor Ward, and acquired right-handed pitcher Shane Baz from the Rays for four prospects and a draft pick. They also signed Ryan Helsley to a two-year deal to replace injured closer Félix Bautista and brought back Zach Eflin on a $10 million contract.
The Orioles again bypassed the top of the free-agent starting pitching market, opting to bolster their lineup. They’ll hope Baz, a former top prospect, can unlock his potential. Trevor Rogers will look to continue his strong finish to last season, while Kyle Bradish aims to be a solid mid-rotation starter after recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Bassitt slots in behind Rogers, Bradish, and Baz as locks for the rotation, while Eflin is expected to fill the fifth starter role as long as he’s fully recovered from back surgery. That could push Dean Kremer and/or Tyler Wells back to Triple-A Norfolk to start the season. Both pitchers retain an option, but are approaching the point where they’d have the right to refuse minor league assignments. Wells needs 40 more days on an MLB roster to reach that point, while Kremer is 60 days away.
The Orioles could utilize Wells in long relief and start the season with a six-man rotation including Kremer. A surplus of starting pitchers often resolves itself as the season progresses. Injuries are already impacting other teams, with the Braves, Blue Jays and Tigers all announcing significant injuries in the first two days of camp. Even with a currently healthy rotation, the Orioles would be wise to prepare for inevitable injuries.
Bassitt may not be the ace some Orioles fans desired, but he’s a sensible addition for a team mindful of managing the innings of Bradish and Eflin after recent setbacks. MLBTR predicted a two-year, $38 million contract earlier in the offseason, but Baltimore avoided committing to a second year, a move that proved savvy considering Merrill Kelly secured $20 million annually over two years with the Diamondbacks.
The Orioles’ payroll projection now stands at $166 million, according to RosterResource. Despite several key offseason additions, they remain only about $6 million above their opening payroll from last season. This likely concludes their major offseason moves, but they should have the flexibility to add pieces mid-season if needed. Bassitt’s departure from the market leaves Zac Gallen, Lucas Giolito and Max Scherzer as the best remaining free-agent starting pitchers.
Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported the agreement and terms. Image courtesy of John E. Sokolowski, Imagn Images.
