The Baltimore Orioles have signed free agent pitcher Chris Bassitt to a 1 year, $18.5M contract to shore up their rotation the team announced.
The deal, which is pending a physical, will reportedly include a $3M signing bonus, and $500K in incentives if Bassitt starts 27 games for the team. Barring injury, that mark should be feasible for Bassitt who has reached that mark in each of the past 5 MLB campaigns.
The soon to be 37 year old went 11-9 with a 3.96 ERA and 166 Ks across 170.1IP with Toronto in 2025. During the team’s run to the World Series, he also pitched out of the bullpen and should bring some veteran experience to a young Orioles lineup.
Over his 12-year major league career split between the White Sox, Athletics, Mets and Blue Jays, Bassitt holds a 83-65 lifetime record with a 3.64 ERA, 1,191 strikeouts and 409 walks in 1,278.2IP. He also sports a career 3.04 ERA in the postseason as well.
With pitchers and catchers reporting this week, Bassitt’s signing likely wraps up a busy offseason for Baltimore’s front office. In addition to the veteran hurler, the team also brought in Pete Alonso, Ryan Helsley, Zach Eflin, Shane Baz, and Taylor via free agency and trades.
The team also named Craig Albernaz as the team’s new manager as they look to rebound from an injury plagued 2025 season.
Bassitt immediately becomes the “elder statesman” in the O’s rotation heading into Spring Training. The righty will add some much needed depth to a rotation that includes Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Shane Baz, Zach Eflin and Dean Kremer.
While the team is banking on the upside of Bradish, his health will be a situation the team will be monitoring closely. Since being recalled from Norfolk (AAA) in 2022, the 29 year old has battled a variety of injuries which have cost him all but 71.1 IP over the last two seasons combined.
Baltimore will begin their first full squad workouts on Monday, February 16th ahead of their Grapefruit League debut.
Photo: Keith Allison. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.