The Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a three-year deal worth $63 million with free agency starter Chris Basitt. According to ESPN’s Jeff PassanBasitt is the Blue Jays’ second player to watch in recent days, after outfielder Kevin Kiermaier signed with Toronto over the weekend.
Basit, who turns 34 in February, spent last season with the New York Mets. He recorded his 3.42 ERA (113 ERA+) and his 3.41 strikeout percentage in his 181 innings, his career-best. (His previous single-season best was 157 innings for him.) In his career, he has amassed a 3.45 ERA and a 2.94 strikeout-to-base ratio.
Basitt entered the offseason ranked as the 13th best free agent by CBS Sports. Here is the article from that time:
Bassitt turns 34 in February, suggesting he may have to settle for higher interest rates in the short term. fair enough. He shouldered a career-high workload in his first season with the Mets, crossing his 160-inning threshold for the first time in the big leagues. When most people think of Basit, they think of the unusual mechanism by which he dips his gloves low and away from his body. not us. We’re students of the game instead thinking about all the potential dog puns offered by his last name. Bassitt makes good use of his extensive arsenal, which includes three fastball variations and his pair of curveballs. Some pitchers are lucky if they can spin the ball east and west.
The Blue Jays were linked to several other free agent starters, including Koudai Senga, who had just signed with the Mets. Coincidentally, Senga’s addition to the Mets blocked Basit’s return to New York, giving impetus to the deal.
Basit will likely end up in the middle of the Blue Jays’ rotation, which includes Alec Manoa, Kevin Gaussman and Jose Berrios.