💥 BREAKING NEWS: Chris Bassitt is still unemployed as Spring Training approaches—and the real reason isn’t his skill level ⚡ .MH

Chris Bassitt has never been a big name on the free agency market. No headline-grabbing signings. No radar gun exceeding 100 MPH. But if there’s one pitcher coaches trust to pitch day after day, year after year—it’s Bassitt.

For four consecutive seasons, he’s played at least 30 pitches. Consistent. Consistent. Quiet.

And then, last season, Bassitt showed another side—a detail many may have overlooked. In the Toronto Blue Jays’ World Series campaign, he wasn’t just a starter. Bassitt stepped out from the bullpen, handled the most stressful moments, and finished with an ERA of 1.04 and 10 strikeouts in 8.2 innings. No shaking hands. No complaining about his role.

A pitcher like that should have been signed early.

But the reality was quite the opposite.

As pitchers and catchers prepare to report for training, Chris Bassitt is still… single. And that’s surprising to many—until a closer look at the bigger picture.

Initially, many believed a reunion with Toronto was the obvious choice. But the Blue Jays quickly closed that door by signing Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce. The roster was full. Bassitt was forced to look elsewhere.

So why hasn’t he chosen a new team yet?

According to Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report, the answer isn’t that teams don’t want Bassitt—it’s that Bassitt is being selective.

He’ll turn 37 before the 2026 season. And despite a respectable career, there’s one thing Bassitt hasn’t yet achieved: a World Series ring. At this stage of his career, that’s no longer a minor detail. It’s central to every decision.

Bassitt isn’t in a hurry. He’s not looking for a big contract. He’s looking for the right team.

That inadvertently slowed down his market. Rebuilding teams weren’t appealing. Competitive teams lacking a clear role weren’t compelling either. And in an offseason where many teams had already finalized their rotations early, that “pickiness” made Bassitt seem overlooked—though in reality, he was waiting.

That’s why the Philadelphia Phillies started getting more attention. They’d just lost Ranger Suárez. Zack Wheeler was recovering from an elbow injury. The Phillies didn’t need a flashy ace—they needed someone who could eat innings, keep the game stable, and be ready to fill any role when October arrived.

Bassit fit the bill in a questionable way.

He didn’t demand the spotlight. He understood how to survive in both bullpen and rotation. And most importantly, he came with a very clear objective—something the Phillies were also desperate for.

On the surface, Chris Bassitt’s unsigned contract looked like a big question mark in the market. But the more you look at it, the more it seems like a deliberate choice. A seasoned pitcher, knowing what he has—and knowing he’s only missing one thing.

The question isn’t whether Bassitt is still good enough.

It’s: which team would dare give him the chance to complete that journey?