One of the biggest question marks the Toronto Blue Jays are facing this offseason is what exactly will their pitching staff look like in 2026? Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage and Jose Berrios are all going into Spring Training with a lock on a rotation spot – but that leaves two places open.
After doing everything he could to help his team try to win the World Series in 2025, maybe Chris Bassitt will be a player that can fill one of those two vacant rotation spots.
Key Blue Jays free agent says what fans want to hear after World Series heartbreaker
Most of the time, when the season is over and a player is heading to free agency, they’ll say something cliché about letting things play out and not knowing what the future holds, while mentioning that they enjoyed their time in whatever current clubhouse they are standing in. But after the devastating loss in Game 7 of the World Series on Saturday evening for the Blue Jays, Bassitt said all the right things for a player who doesn’t want the door to close between himself and the current team.
Bassitt told reporters, “I love these guys … it’s hard to replicate true love. You can try to replicate this. A lot of people will try, but it’s not really possible.” MLB.com Keegan Matheson reported that Bassitt said this while fighting back tears and added that he hopes to get another chance with this group.
While business decisions are not supposed to be about emotion, it would be hard for the front office to ignore those sentiments. Plus, Bassitt was a very valuable addition to the club over the last few seasons. He signed a three year $63 million deal before 2023 and in his final year of that contract, he threw 170.1 innings, with a 3.96 ERA and 4.01 FIP.
Bassitt had a really good second half as well, with a 3.69 ERA after the All-Star break and then became one of the most reliable arms out of the bullpen. After being left off the ALDS roster, Bassitt returned for the ALCS and the World Series and pitched to a 1.04 ERA and had a 33.3% strikeout rate in his seven appearances.
While Bassitt will be entering his age 37 season in 2026 and there are a lot of younger-higher upside arms on the market, Bassitt could end up being a buy-low candidate to fill a backend spot, or potentially become a full-time reliever.
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