The New York Mets have acquired veteran right hander Chris Bassitt from the Oakland Athletics for a pair of minor league pitchers. In exchange for the former All-Star, New York is sending J.T. Ginn and Adam Oller out west.
Ginn was a 2nd round pick of the Mets in 2020 who played mostly Class A ball last year. Oller meanwhile was a 27 year old pitcher who split time between Double A and Triple A ball in 2021.
Bassitt joins Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom in the Mets rotation, and provides a steadying presence behind New York’s aces. The 6’5” righty posted a 12-4 record in 2021, with a 3.15ERA & 1.05WHIP across 27 appearances.
New York will now trot out a combination of Taijuan Walker, Carlos Carrasco, David Peterson, or Tylor Megill to round out their rotation. The Mets allowed former starters Marcus Stroman and Noah Syndergaard to walk in free agency. The two hurlers would sign with the Cubs and Angels respectively in the offseason.
The former University of Akron pitcher made his MLB debut in 2014 with the Chicago White Sox. Following the 2014 season, Bassitt was traded as part of a multi-player deal to the Oakland Athletics which saw Jeff Samardzija head to the windy city.
Bassitt famously took a line drive to the head from Brian Goodwin last year which required facial surgery to repair multiple fractures. He would retake the mound only a month later to help Oakland in their bid for a postseason berth.
The Mets collapsed down the stretch in 2021, allowing the Atlanta Braves to chase them down for the NL East crown, and ultimately the World Series title in the process. With a new manager in Buck Showalter, and the league’s largest payroll, New York is hoping for a bounce back season in 2022.