The Toronto Blue Jays saw fan-favorite pitcher Chris Bassitt sign a one-year deal with a division rival on Wednesday night.
Bassitt signed with the Baltimore Orioles to give the AL East contender some much-needed depth to their rotation. Yet, he had to say goodbye to Toronto, where he played for three seasons and was beloved in the clubhouse and by fans.
Following the deal with the Orioles being reported, Bassitt took to social media to pen an emotional goodbye to the Blue Jays.
“Toronto and all of Canada… I’m beyond grateful that my family and I chose to come 3 years ago,” Bassitt wrote on X. “From having our youngest son there to getting to a World Series and everything in between.
“It was filled with love and friendships that my family will cherish for the rest of our lives. We gave you everything we had. Y’all gave us so much more. Thank y’all for literally everything.”
It’s clear that Bassitt enjoyed his time with the Blue Jays, but a reunion between the two sides seemed unlikely after Toronto signed Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce.
Bassitt, meanwhile, was a key part of the Blue Jays roster that made it to the World Series. After not getting a rotation spot, he moved to the bullpen and was an effective high-leverage reliever for Toronto.
Bassitt had a 1.04 ERA over 7 appearances in the playoffs, as he was a key part of Toronto’s bullpen.
Bassitt Joins Blue Jays Rival
Not only did Bassitt leave the Blue Jays, but the veteran right-hander signed with their division rival, the Orioles.
Baltimore is expected to compete for the top spot in the AL East as all five teams appear to be legit playoff threats.
The biggest need for the Orioles was starting pitching depth, and Bassitt fills that role perfectly. He can be Baltimore’s fourth starter and eat innings, and come playoff time, he could also shift to the bullpen as he did with the Blue Jays.
Bassitt joins an Orioles rotation that is led by Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Shane Baz, and Zach Eflin, along with Bassitt.
Bassitt went 11-9 with a 3.96 ERA in 32 games, including 31 starts last season.
Toronto Happy With Pitching Depth
Although the Blue Jays didn’t bring back Bassitt, Toronto still has plenty of starting pitching depth.
Toronto signed Cease and Ponce to bolster the rotation alongside Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, Jose Berrios, and the injured Shane Bieber. Yet, Blue Jays manager John Schneider felt confident in the team’s depth.
“How we have planned…you have Cease, you have Gaus, you have Ponce, you got Trey (Yesavage),” Schneider said. “Lauer, we’re going to stretch out as a starter. Jose, we’re going to stretch out as a starter. He’s had a pretty productive offseason. Watched him throw today and was very encouraged. Hopefully, Shane isn’t that far behind. We’re kind of in a unique spot where some of our depth is actually on our 26-man roster.”
Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins also felt comfortable with the team’s starting pitching depth.
“That’s one of the reasons we acquired Cody, really fortunate to have Eric Lauer in the position that he’s in here, obviously we acquired Dylan Cease and have two incredibly stable starting pitchers coming back in Gaus and Jose,” said Atkins. “Very confident that we’re going to see Shane contributing in a significant portion of our season. And feel like our starting point is still in a very solid position.”
The Blue Jays enter the season as one of the favorites to win the World Series.
Chris Bassitt Pens Emotional Goodbye to Blue Jays After Signing With Rival