Report: Blue Jays, Bassitt agree to 3-year, $63M deal
The Toronto Blue Jays agreed to a three-year, $63-million contract with free-agent right-hander Chris Bassitt, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan.
Completion of the agreement is pending a physical.
Bassitt also receives a limited no-trade clause, allowing him to block trades to eight teams each season, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The deal also gives him the third-highest average annual value for a pitcher this winter.
Bassitt is coming off a solid 2022 campaign with the New York Mets in which he posted a 3.42 ERA, 3.66 FIP, and 1.14 WHIP with a career-best 167 strikeouts in 181 2/3 innings. Following the season, Bassitt declined his half of a $19-million mutual option and became a free agent.
Because he declined the Mets' qualifying offer earlier this winter, Toronto will forfeit its second-highest 2023 draft pick and $500,000 of international bonus pool money as part of the signing, according to Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith.
The 33-year-old adds even more power and depth to an excellent Blue Jays rotation. He'll likely slot in behind AL Cy Young finalist Alek Manoah and co-ace Kevin Gausman.
Blue Jays' projected 2023 rotation
| Pitcher | Throws | ERA | FIP | K/9 | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alek Manoah | R | 2.24 | 3.35 | 8.2 | 4.1 |
| Kevin Gausman | R | 3.35 | 2.38 | 10.6 | 5.7 |
| Chris Bassitt | R | 3.42 | 3.66 | 8.3 | 2.7 |
| Jose Berrios | R | 5.23 | 4.55 | 7.8 | 1.1 |
| Yusei Kikuchi | L | 5.19 | 5.62 | 11.1 | -0.7 |
Bassitt could also serve as a replacement for Ross Stripling, who remains a free agent.
Originally a 16th-round pick of the Chicago White Sox in 2011, Bassitt owns a lifetime 46-34 record with a 3.45 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and 671 strikeouts across parts of eight big-league seasons with the White Sox, Mets, and Oakland Athletics. He was an All-Star for Oakland in 2021, a season that was briefly interrupted by a comebacker off his head that required emergency surgery.