ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports this that the Orioles have agreed to terms with pitcher Chris Bassitt on a one-year contract worth $18.5 million. He will receive a $3 million signing bonus and another $500,000 if he starts at least 27 games in 2026.
Bassitt, 36, had a typically solid outing with the Blue Jays in 2025. He posted a 3.96 ERA and a 1.327 WHIP over his 170.1 innings, striking out 166 batters with 52 walks. Bassitt was outstanding out of the bullpen for the Blue Jays in the postseason, allowing just one run on three hits and two walks in 8.2 innings, striking out 10 batters.
Chris Bassitt adds an element missing from the Baltimore Orioles’ projected rotation
While the Orioles’ projected rotation had a high ceiling prior to the signing of Chris Bassitt, there was cause for concern. The quintet of Kyle Bradish, Shane Baz, Dean Kremer, Trevor Rogers and Zach Eflin had made at least 30 starts in a season, only four starts between them. Baz threw for 166.1 innings in 2025; his previous major league best was 79.1. Rogers was mediocre at best from 2022 through 2024 before performing as a top starter in 2025. Bradish threw just 71.1 innings in 2024 and 2025 when he returned from Tommy John surgery. That uncertainty made a sustainable starter a necessity.
Bassitt has been that type of pitcher since he secured a spot in the rotation in 2019. He has the eighth-most innings (943.1) of any pitcher in the Majors since the start of 2020 and has made at least 30 starts in each of the last four years. While he may not have the same upside as the rest of the Orioles rotation, he may have the highest floor.
The Orioles are looking to put a disappointing 2025 season in the rearview mirror and compete for a playoff spot next season. A reliable workhorse like Bassitt could be the missing piece.
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