Feb 13: Baltimore has officially announced the Bassitt signing. No corresponding move was needed, as the club had room on the 40-man for the veteran righty. The Orioles’ 40-man roster is now full.
Feb. 12: The Orioles are reportedly in agreement with starter Chris Bassitt on a one-year, $18.5MM contract, pending a physical. Bassitt, a client of Meister Sports Management, receives a $3MM signing bonus and would unlock another $500K if he reaches 27 starts. Baltimore has an opening on the 40-man roster after losing infielder Bryan Ramos on waivers to St. Louis.
President of baseball operations Mike Elias has made a habit of signing veteran starters to one-year deals over the past few years. They found some success with Kyle Gibson in 2023. Last winter’s reunion with Gibson and additions of Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano did not go as planned. Bassitt is in a similar stage of his career as he nears his 37th birthday, but he should have a higher floor than those previous additions.
Bassitt didn’t reach 100 MLB innings in a season until his age-30 campaign in 2019. He has been a consistent mid-rotation presence over the last seven years. Only once did his earned run average climb north of 4.00. His 2.29 mark during the shortened season was a small sample outlier, but he has otherwise been a safe bet to allow between three and four earned runs per nine while logging a heavy workload. Bassitt has surpassed 150 innings in each of the last five seasons, one of just six pitchers to do that. He’s eighth in total innings over that stretch.
The veteran righty has paired the bulk with mid-rotation quality. He’s coming off a 3.96 ERA with slightly better than average underlying marks. Bassitt fanned 22.6% of batters faced against a 7.1% walk rate across 170 1/3 innings a year ago. His per-pitch whiff rate is a little below average, but he has managed to strike out between 22-23% of opponents in each of the past four seasons.
Bassitt’s velocity has ticked down slightly as he has gotten into his mid-30s. His sinker averaged 91.6 mph last season, narrowly a career low. That’s still not far off the 92-93 mph range in which he had worked throughout his career. The sinker is Bassitt’s primary offering, but Statcast identified eight distinct pitches that he used at least occasionally during his final season in Toronto. He mostly works with a sinker, cutter and curveball and generally does well to limit hard contact.
The biggest concern may be Bassitt’s issues against left-handed hitters. While he held them in check earlier in his career, Bassitt has seen his platoon splits widen over the past few seasons. Since the start of 2023, lefties have gotten to him at a .284/.360/.483 clip in more than 1200 plate appearances. He has held same-handed opponents to a punchless .224/.286/.323 line in a similar number of at-bats over that stretch.
Bassitt is coming off a three-year, $63MM contract with the division rival Blue Jays. He provided Toronto with 541 1/3 innings of 3.89 ERA ball during the regular season. Bassitt only once missed a start, as a minor bout of back inflammation sent him to the injured list last September. He missed the Division Series win over the Yankees but returned for the AL Championship Series. Bassitt pitched out of relief and emerged as one of John Schneider’s most trusted leverage arms in October. He fired 8 2/3 innings of one-run ball with 10 strikeouts during Toronto’s pennant run.
One year after helping the Jays go worst to first in the AL East, Bassitt will hope to accomplish the same feat with Baltimore. The Orioles have had a big offseason after stumbling to a 75-87 showing. They signed Pete Alonso (a former teammate of Bassitt’s in New York) to a monster five-year, $155MM deal. The O’s swapped oft-injured starter Grayson Rodriguez for another righty power bat, Taylor Ward, while dealing four prospects and a draft choice to the Rays for Shane Baz. They signed Ryan Helsley to a two-year deal to replace injured closer Félix Bautista and reunited with Zach Eflin on a $10MM contract.
The Orioles again shied away from the top of the free agent starting pitching market, preferring to make a splash in the middle of the lineup. They’ll hope to unlock another gear from Baz, a former top prospect who has shown flashes but been inconsistent over his first couple seasons. Trevor Rogers will look to build off last year’s fantastic final few months, while Kyle Bradish has a chance to be an upper mid-rotation starter now that he’s recovered from Tommy John surgery.
Bassitt slots behind Rogers, Bradish and Baz as locks to open the year in Craig Albernaz’s rotation. Eflin will be assured of the fifth starter role as long as he’s fully recovered from last August’s back surgery. He’s expected to be a full participant in Spring Training, so that should be the case. That could push Dean Kremer and/or Tyler Wells back to Triple-A Norfolk to open the season. Both pitchers still have an option remaining, though they’re each approaching the five-year service cutoff at which they’d earn the right to refuse any minor league assignments. Wells needs another 40 days on an MLB roster to get there, while Kremer is 60 days away.
The O’s could use Wells in long relief and start the year with Kremer rounding out a six-man rotation if they want both pitchers in the majors. A rotation surplus usually works itself out before long. The Braves, Blue Jays and Tigers have all announced significant injury losses within the first two days of camp. Even if all of Baltimore’s starters are currently healthy, they’d be fortunate if that’s the case by Opening Day.
Bassitt may not be the top-of-the-rotation type that O’s fans had coveted, but he’s a sensible pickup for a team that’ll keep an eye on Bradish’s and Eflin’s innings after lost seasons. MLBTR had predicted a two-year, $38MM contract at the beginning of the offseason. Baltimore was able to avoid committing that second season in an offseason when Merrill Kelly commanded $20MM annually over two years from the Diamondbacks at the same age.
The O’s payroll projection climbs to $166MM, as calculated by RosterResource. Despite the handful of significant offseason pickups, they’re only about $6MM above where they opened last season. This will probably wrap their significant offseason dealings, but they shouldn’t have an issue taking on some money midseason if they’re positioned to buy. Bassitt’s removal from the market leaves Zac Gallen, Lucas Giolito and Max Scherzer as the best free agents available for teams still looking to add.
Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported the agreement and terms. Image courtesy of John E. Sokolowski, Imagn Images.
Boooo
But really Baltimore is getting an absolute stud who will do whatever it takes to win
I really, really hate this
I’m not following??
I think this is a great signing. 1/18 is a bargain for a guy who’s going to give you 160+ innings. And if he stinks by the end of May, throw him in the pen; we all know he can work out of there anyway if need be.
Is jd a Mets or jays fan or something. Kinda sorta remember them being non Baltimore fan but Baltimore fans can let you know.
For those not keeping up, the first two posters in this thread (bigdaddyt and jdgoat) are both Jays fans.
From the perspective of a Jays fan this is not ideal as he was a solid pitcher for the Jays and now he’s going to help a division rival.
Pretty sure the one who hates this is a Jays fan.
Canuck – How come Jays and Yankees fans didn’t have a similar reaction when IKF signed with the Sox???
As an Astro fan, I’m not too happy with this either.
If you need 160 Miles Mikolas just signed for 2.5 mill
I like Bassitt. Surprised he got that much
Because IKF isn’t a massive impact like Bassitt.
LOL!
RT, your photo is a little Mossi!
Very surprised. Mikolas 4.85 ERA, Bassitt 3.98….. $16M more for 1 run lower ERA. If Bassitt is worth $18.5M for an 3.98 ERA then what is an a 2.21 ERA worth?
Who has a 2.21 ERA? Skenes and Skubal. Next was Hunter Brown at 2.43, Garrett Crochet at 2.59 if I’m not mistaken.
Lou – I see what you did there …… only one qualified starting pitcher had an ERA of 2.21 last season ;O)
I guess we will find out soon enough. There aren’t any others with an ERA under 2.85 last year who are currently under a contract signed as a MLB free agent.
If you’ve watched both pitch you would see the difference.
I get what you are saying JD. Elias just got a 37 year old back of the rotation inning eater instead of a top of the rotation starter the team desperately needed and paid $18 million for the privilege.
O’s did not desperately need a top starter. It would have course be preferred, but not desperately needed. Also it is misleading for the article to state “The Orioles again shied away from the top of the free agent starting pitching market.” Big difference between not obtaining and shying away. Jeesh. Anyhow the Bassitt signing brings stability if not electricity to an already good rotation.
Ok Mike. Thanks for the info Mike.
Facts. The Orioles have a single starter who made 30 + starts with an ERA that was better than league average, Bassitt. He barely slipped in under the line for average at 3.96. On the list of starters he is right there with Cookie and Kikuchi Not encouraging and he is 37 years old and the Orioles best based on actual performance.
So yes, the Orioles do desperately need a TOR starter.
I would have liked Framber or Suarez but im pretty happy they didnt spend 200÷ for Cease and I get them not wanting to give close to 40 a year for Valdez or give 5 years to Suarez.
Exactly how many of those do you think there are? And is there any way to keep those pesky competitors from offering them a contract in a nicer city/bigger stage/weaker division? Or the ability to play closer to family and pay lower taxes than Maryland has? We offered a lot for Burnes and he simply wanted to play near his home. Trading for Crochet or signing Fried or Snell last year? Look at who beat Baltimore out on those deals. The Cease deal was insane and Framber and Ranger happened to choose other teams. There can only be one “winner”. The Orioles needed stability with what was left because of all the recovering starters whose innings will be load-managed. (otherwise Giolito’s upside would’ve been the move to make). Remember anything can happen in the playoffs (ask Joe Saunders)
I don’t think they do. If they did there was non on the open market.
jdgoat – Me too! Cbass was an integral part of the Jay’s last year and will be missed. Great signing by Baltimore but now we are going to see him all season long in the same division. That hurts. Good luck to him and Baltimore but not against the Jay’s.
Why?
Bassit is going to be a fassitt of this rotation. They need stuff and he hassitt.
I dont gettit. Who greenllit this? He will gethhit and that will be ittt. Dadgamittt this is bulllsitt
Not the top of the rotation starting pitcher we still need but it improves the rotation so I don’t hate it.
If you were going to get that I think that time has passed long ago.
Top of the rotation for bottom of the division maybb
Whether you agree with him or not, I believe Elias thinks Baz will be that top of the rotation guy. Bassitt is the quality piece to round out the rotation.
I think Bradish is the guy, barring further injury..
“Barring further injury” is like saying in 2023 “if Pujols can only be 27 again.”
I believe that I am going to win the lottery every time. Right before I throw that losing ticket in the trash.
Skip- Did that losing lottery ticket average 97 mph on its fastball with elite Stuff+ ratings and a sub 4.00 ERA when pitching in actual MLB stadiums?
Because Baz did in 2025.
4.87 ERA/4.37 FIP/24.8% SO/9.0% BB/19th percentile PRV/7th percentile breaking ball run value/107 Stuff+
If you really think that is a TOR starter I have a bridge I would like to sell you.
He was worse than league average in his results while having slightly better than average Stuff+.
And a 3.86 xERA, 3.88 xFIP, 3.95 SIERA.
Not too shabby for his first full season back from TJS.
19th percentile is bad.
Well the top three of Bradish, Baez and Rogers could be filthy, but plenty needs to go right.
I think Elias thinks that Baz, Bradish and Rogers are all very good number 2s and instead of a staff with a traditional ace/top of the rotation arm, followed by arms in decreasing succession (1. 2, 3, 4, 5), they will have a rotation of 2, 2, 2, 4, 5
Raised the floor for sure
You have a top of a rotation guy. Possibly 2
Tuck – I don’t entirely disagree, but if you only have one certain top of the rotation guy, you still need another.
Someone with some sense, thx.
Elias thinks you don’t need it. See his point – in one turn of the rotation, a top 10 SP would be out there for 6 while the rest handle 39 IPs. The quality of the starters is measured by the average, not the best, and that average is pretty decent. 7 SPs who have performed and that won’t make me cringe, 8 if Suarez is healthy, all better than Morton sugano Povich young gibson’s 84 starts. Nice to have a top 10 for the playoffs, but for the 162 slog this is ok.
They are adding 5 full season really good hitters to the team, including O’Neill who is effectively a new addition and the 2 rookies. Those 5 and the big 5 incumbents will together take 80% of the abs. The other 20% is looking to be way better hitters than last years bench. If normal injuries, they should compete for div and nail a Wild card.
We certainly can get to the playoffs with this move, we were already in the mix and at least one of the major projections had us as the 3rd WC team before the Bassitt news. I think this signing is excellent value and I’m not one to bash Elias but that doesn’t change the fact that I want us to have another legit ace while Gunnar is still on the team.
Well, you had me until “O’Neill”.. Seriously though, if he gets 350 AB, he’ll hit 20 HR in his sleep. (Of course he’ll play right field the same way, so that’s a problem)
Ok, maybe full season was pushing it with ON IL.
But he averaged 400 pas the previous years.
Baltimore could have a really good rotation if things work out.
Seems like a lot idk.
Quintana got 6. This guy much better. It’s on the high end of a fair value but spring training is here and free agent pitchers are getting low in number.
One year deals for starting pitchers are getting pricey. Dustin May is making 12.5mil this year.
Owner doesn’t care. Why do you?
Feels like a fair price. A lot would be what the totals would be for the Jays, given where they are in the tax.
One year, it’s a good bet for the O’s. He’s more likely to deliver the solid, mid-rotation, results you expect from a pro.
Yuck. Orioles need an ace not some old mid rotation guy. They are spending money but yuck.
No one really left that is an ace.
Get – There’s only 4 remaining Top 50 Free Agents …. Gallen, Giolito, Scherzer, and …… Littell – why is there zero discussion about him? Last year 187 innings of 3.81 ERA pitching ….. he should definitely be able to help somebody.
Low strikeout rate. After Sugano, the O’s want at least the possibility of a K in key situations.
Need 5 mlb starters and 4 good enough for playoffs. Aces harder to get than the other 4.
If Chris Bassitt is the 3rd best SP you added, you probably had a pretty good offseason.
Who is really ahead of him that we grabbed? Maybe baz but he has come close to his potential. Not Eflin.
Eflin (if his surgery was successful and all signs point to “yes” at this point) and Baz are both better than Bassitt.
Baz and Efflin are better than Bassitt?
Yuck. Go get another ace this is just like what they did last offseason.
Wrong as usual lol. Baz, Bassitt, and Eflin are obviously better adds than Sugano, Morton, and the ghost of Kyle Gibson.
And other than maybe Peralta, there weren’t any actual aces available this offseason.
I think Baz can do better. Bad trade though unless he is that ace. You either gave up a lot of great prospects or you are terrible at drafting. Both are a concern. A lot of high picks sent out. But maybe they see a way to greatly improve Baz and had to have him.
I think it was a great trade.
3 years of a young SP with ace level stuff, and he was acquired without giving up any of our very best prospects.
You do know that we signed him out of FA not through a trade, right?
That’s the price of pitching now.
“ And other than maybe Peralta, there weren’t any actual aces available this offseason.”
Free agents
Valdez
Suarez
If he can get it together Cease has ace stuff
If king can stay healthy he has ace stuff
Imai may be an ace
Trade wise
Cabrera was available
Skubals often been a trade candidate
Greene has been rumored as available for offense out of Cincy
Dodgers may have parted with some of their SP depth if you took Teoscar Hernandez
Seattles been listening in on Luis Castillo
Joe Ryan Pablo Lopez were at one point available out of Minny
Ragans and Bubic came up on trade discussions from KC
Peralta is a #1 on most teams be he is not an ace..there are really only 3 guys right now that qualify for that title , Skenes ,Skubal and Crochet..those three will basically give you a chance to win by scoring 3 or less every time out..nobody else really does that..people are too casual with the title of ace these days imo…
You can’t possibly be that stupid. Did you really just compare CB to the over the hill rock and roll Express( Morton and Gibson (, who won was almost 40 and the other one was over 40. And sugano who had no major league experience and was also aging? Yeah Bassett is 36 he’s not young anymore but he’s younger than all three of those other guys and has a much better track record then gibson, definitely is better than Morton and is also better than Morton has been over the last several years including Morton’s age 36 and 37 seasons, definitely has more of a track record than Sagano and pitched better than he did last season. There’s just no comparison. He has a higher floor and a higher ceiling than all three of those guys. You’re delusional and I don’t even know why I bothered dignifying this ridiculous comment with a response
LNPM- None of Valdez, Cease, or Suarez are aces, and I much prefer Baz to Cabrera. King would have been nice but with his health history, I’m not too upset that we didn’t outbid SD for him.
Also, the majority of the names you mentioned as trade possibilities (Skubal, Greene, Ryan, Lopez, etc.) were not actually available.
Draft picks rarely work out as being productive major league players let alone stars. Every team misses on more than they hit on. In all sports. And you have to give up something to get something. None of those guys that they traded for bars are going to help anytime within the next few years and most of them will probably not amount to much. That’s just the nature of things. People bashed Elias for years for recording prospects and then when he actually trades them people bashing. You can’t have it both ways. If you want to be a winning organization get used to getting rid of prospects that you don’t want to part ways with
Calcam he was referring to the Baz trade.
@King Floch
If he is a Ace it’s not just a great trade but amazing fantastic whatever impressive word you like. But currently an ace right. Hasn’t been a healthy work horse right. It was a lot. A big gamble. I didn’t grade it a F but they paid a expensive price.
Suarez and Valdez are not aces. Obviously. And the latter is a douchebag.
AH! My bad! It’s hard to follow the conversations in here. I’m new!
Cease is great to anyone who doesn’t use era to value pitchers.
Pirates had everyone but Skenes available.
Peralta Cabrera were very very very affordable to get. Much cheaper than Baz. Baz could be just as good though. High ceiling.
Joe Ryan Pablo Lopez and hunter greee were never available via trade. Apparently you listen to every talking head and believe every article is Gospel truth. GMS and ownership of those respected teams said none of those guys were ever available and they weren’t actively shopping any of them because they did not want to get rid of them. Skubal would be a stupid trade for anybody to make because Detroit’s asking too much for a one year rental. Seattle has not been listening on Luis Castillo since last year. That’s all news they have changed their stance and they’re not subtracting from their rotation because they’re trying to make another world series run and they made that clear early in the off season. Cabrera is not and never has been an ace. He’s no better than baz.bubic is not an ace. While Reagan’s has Ace potential he’s coming off injuries and has never shown to be an actual Ace either. I’ll give you King I’ll be at very borderline as an ace. Dylan cease is not an Ace and has only been close to an ace and two out of the past six seasons, the other four he’s either been wildly and consistent, or average at best. Ranger Suarez is definitely not an ace. He was terrible the last 2 months of the season and he’s only going to be average at best in the American League East the first two years of that contract and he’s going to fall off a cliff the last 3 years. He’s a soft tosser. Doesn’t bode well for the AL east. I’ll give you that Valdez was an ace at one point. But is he that anymore? That’s debatable. He hasn’t really looked like it the last couple of years. A solid number two or very good number three at best. Again a soft tosser. Claims to be 32 but we know how South Americans are. Might actually be 35. Head case. Garbage attitude. Terrible personality. Clubhouse cancer. And certainly not worth almost 40 million a year. That was a Fool’s contract. Not quite as bad as the Suarez contract but stupid nonetheless. I wouldn’t have minded if the Orioles got him but to count on him to be an ace for more than one year is also a Fool’s bet. Gore is definitely not an ace. The only true Ace whoever was on the market is still out there. Zac gallen. But he’s not going to get the four or five year deal that he wants because he had a horrendous first two months of the season last year. But unlike Valdez and Suarez who faltered badly the last two months of the Season at least gallon pitched like an ace the last 2 years of the season and pitched really well in his 17 starts against teams with winning records, which led the majors. He always was my number one choice for the Orioles but I’ll take Bassitt. There just weren’t any Aces out there to get. I just shot your narrative off a cliff
I think Skenes Skubal even Crochet are above a Ace. Need a term for them. Absolute freaks. Aliens. I would say like Strider Sale Wheeler are Aces when healthy. But they ain’t Skenes etc.
AI GM- I fully get the analytical argument for Cease, but I think “great” is overselling it pretty significantly.
He gives up far too many walks as an extreme flyball pitcher, especially now that he is in the AL East.
@league needs…
Wow, None of those guys were available in trade. There were click bait articles. Minnesota may have had people ask about their pitching. They were never trading it. Skubal was never in discussions by anyone other than fans.
@King Floch
Just your definition of great. Like Mitch Keller is good and I like Cease more. Skenes is more than great.
@Johdavius
Draft picks are currency. Better the farm more trades you can make.
“None of those guys that they traded for bars are going to help anytime within the next few years and most of them will probably not amount to much.”
Teams I follow hit on 1st 2nd 3rd round draft picks all the time. Obviously not all of them but a large enough portion to value them as I do.
I believe in the always contend gm strategy. So just because a prospect won’t be mlb ready in a few years doesn’t make them expendable. I hate the window of contention and 5 year rebuild. It’s fine to have a different philosophy. Most fans are on your side.
Cease was exactly where anyone should expect, 170th in MLB in Pitching Run Value with a 2. Above average, but barely. compare that to Skubal at 51 and Skenes at 42.
For those keeping score, Bassitt was a -3 and Baz was a -8.
It seems he’s at 100 pitches by 5th every game.
Yamamoto.
Yeah Yamamoto if replying to me. Ain’t going to name them all.
But like Skenes Skubal is a tier. Crochet in same tier or just below them in a tier all by himself. Then another tier that most people call aces traditionally. Then another tier of almost aces. Not good enough to be a ace but you hate to call them a #2.
Having only the 2 or 3 greatest pitchers of a generation called aces is I dunno. Isn’t best for discussion. Let’s call them super aces. Ace plus. Deciding who is in that next tier can have some debate.
Like Scherzer and Kershaw 10 years ago. I just think Yamamoto is in that top bracket too.
Well Skubal has 2 cy youngs in a row. Skenes would too if he wasn’t a rookie and pitched enough to win it. So that’s my thinking with that. Crochet is so talented I won’t argue him. That’s all I am letting in. Yamamoto is up there. I am close to letting him in.
You can think whatever you want. But to me it’s if I asked people who are the 2 best pitchers in baseball most of them will say Skenes Skubal. So that’s tier 1. If I asked for 3 best it wouldn’t be as high of percentage but majority Crochet. But yeah if I went 4 I think a lot of Yamamoto. And that’s how I would rank them. Yamato closer to Sale Wheeler who are on their way out of the discussion soon you would think than Skenes Skubal.
I used to just assume because I don’t think much own these things Skenes Skubal are the same. Flip flop them around. Then heard Skubal say Skenes is doing it now at age 22 what it took me much longer to do. Just refreshed my memory how incredible Skenes is. I want to see world series Skenes. No holding anything back. Seen it in college world series but he’s even better now.
Yeah I petition just forget about Skenes Skubal. Let’s get a bigger group of guys we can call aces.
If you had to bet everything you own on who wins the cy young and everyone had the same odds payout are you betting against Skenes? You may be crazy and bet on someone else but if not that’s why I endorse a tier or name change. Skenes Skubal are super aces. Let’s ignore them and talk about these other guys. But you guys talk. Ain’t that big of deal to me. I’m pretty reasonable other than the top 2 and top 4 are pretty well set for me. The 2 guys who just won the cy young and are still fairly young. See no reason to remove the crown until someone takes it away from them.
Everyone is available for the right price
No one is untouchable esp now a days where you have 0 chance to resign guys only to get some picks when the Dodgers Mets Yankees decide to buy them away from you.
Brewers traded Peralta for this very reason
Everyone is available for the right price
Saying no one is available is false
Especially since in today’s world you risk losing said pitchers for nothing but draft picks when the Dodgers Mets Yankees etc decide to out price your team from their services
Brewers literally traded Peralta cause they know come free agency they had 0 shot to sign him long term so they took the best deal possible and loaded up on cost controlled pieces.
Logan Gilbert I believe would be in your last tier, as an example. Not an ace, but better than #2. Perhaps Wu as well. Kirby a solid 2. Bryce Miller will be a solid 2. Castillo 3 or 4. So Seattle has 1b, 1b, 2, 2, 3.
You always have to be wary if Tampa gives up on someone this early but he has always pitched well against the Jays and Red Sox and Orioles for that matter so at least you don’t have to face him any more.
Gilbert is ace tier I think. Got no problem someone calling him that. Significantly better than woo. Woo top of 2 tier bottom of ace tier. Can go either way probably 2. Kirby solid 2 agree.
That’s what I am saying. If your ace standard is Skenes Skubal well then there is only 2 aces or 4 if you want to be a bit generous. That’s 4 teams. The other teams would love to have a Gilbert starting in playoffs.
@bullred
Baltimore made them a offer that would have been hard to turn down. He had some services time left. Think Baltimore just had to have him vs Tampa seeing something and saying we need to sell now while we can.
Johdavius Bleidyn
9 hours ago
Ranger Suarez is definitely not an ace. He was terrible the last 2 months of the season and he’s only going to be average at best in the American League East the first two years of that contract and he’s going to fall off a cliff the last 3 years. He’s a soft tosser. Doesn’t bode well for the AL east.
_____________________________________
Suarez missed more three runs than any other player in three games over the last two months of 2025, and he’s been a stud in the postseason.
Don’t be salty, more facts, dude.
Suarez’s career postseason stats:
42.2 IP, 1.48 ERA, 1.06 WHIP.
I wish I had more weaklings like him on my team, hahaha…
Fa you listed all had questions.
Cease Era over4 2 out of 3 yrs
Framer shelled last 2 months and rate stats indicate a decline. Worst Era of career
Ranger declining speed on fastball.
King injured again in 25
Trades most of the guys you mentioned were not really on the market, “experts” thought they should be. There is a reason no sp moved last deadline…
AI Totally agree with everything you just said.
Gallen is trash and there’s a reason besides the QO that nobody wants him. He has declined every season so spare me the lecture about the last couple months of last season. Also, you don’t know Framber or anything about Framber. You’re judging off one incident with a catcher. He has won more than all the loser Orioles combined.
I can’t take a response seriously that starts with “yuck”. Toddlers say yuck
They were talking about Baz, not Bassitt.
Who was out there that they could have kicked the tires on, realistically? Framber? Peralta? Scherzer? Framber’s an expensive head case, Peralta would have cost Baltimore at least half of their farm system, and Scherzer’s a fossil. Mid rotation starters are still really good and compared to last year’s rotation they’re a significant upgrade.
@JB – Framber is the man, durable, consistent and he gets wins.
I didnt like Framber signing with Detroit, he was great with the Astros, always be an Astro at heart, but understand it was his opportunity to land his payday.
He could be a guy who lets off the gas after locking in his riches. Always a risk in a sense. He has thrown a lot of innings over the past four seasons. I wouldnt be surprised to see him regress some this season.
Edward Cabrera on the other hand is primed to have his best season. If he can adapt to his new surroundings and stay focused, he has the best stuff of any starter in MLB.
Im surprised the Orioles signed another starter. I thought Kremer hit his stride last season and was pitching good. Bassit certainly an upgrade but Kremer was a solid five. Wells is a good pitcher too.
O’s looking formidable. Kremer and Wells in the bullpen could be real good.
You don’t have to be on a hof track to be an ace. For most people, an ace is a true top starter on most teams, call it a top 20 SP.
Basically added Braddish ( only five starts after coming back from Tommy John last year). Added Baz. Have Rogers from the start of the season and hopefully for a full season. Hopefully a healthy Eflin ( missed most of the season from back surgery). Steady #5 in Kremer. A more experienced Povich. Steady Wells now a spot starter and back end reliever. Suarez and a couple young guys and Brandon young and Trey Gibson waiting in the wings if they need to be called. And now one of the steadiest number three starters in all of baseball adding a solid veteran presence to an otherwise young up and coming rotation. I think it’s a solid move and gives the Orioles a very good and extremely deep rotation. As we know it takes at least eight or nine to get through a 162
They needed someone durable/reliable-Mission accomplished.
They have an ace – do you people even pay attention
Radish maybe but he’s coming off an injury. Rogers has only pitch like an ace for 2 months out of his entire career and that happened to be last year. You can’t ignore the four previous years where he was absolutely abysmal. We shall see. I think he will be more like the number three he was his rookie season which is fine
tuck- Yup, Bradish is lowkey one of the best SPs in baseball.
Still can’t believe we got him for a couple of Bundy’s arb years. The Angels really screwed the pooch on that deal.
Kingofcards, they’re banking on Baz returning to form, and Kyle Braddish being good after Tommy John surgery. Bassist is a good if not solid mid rotation addition. Best they could have added at this point would have been Zac Gallen or someone else via trade
Bradish is an ACE!!!
BRADISH IS AN ACE!!! Have you watched?
Elite #4
What stride did Kremer hit? Same consistent, slightly below average SP.
Kremer put together some good starts after a horrendous March/April. I recall him having found his game some.
I feel like he made some sort of adjustment that was working well and had thought that he could have surprised this season.
He’ll surprise me if he is even average.
Guy’s a hound
He’s got that dog in him.
Costco Dog.
My wife just bought me a bumper sticker that says “I got that dog in me” and is a picture of the Costco dog menu with $1.50.
Sounds (to this dude at least) quite uncomfortable.
Good for him, but as a Jays fan I really hoped he’d go to the NL.
As a Jays’ fan, I was hoping they would bring him back. Obviously and especially with their tax situation, Bassitt was just too expensive as a “depth” signing.
Safer investment than Gallen or Giolito.
No draft pick needed
Who cares about the draft pick. After the haul we sent to TPA for Baz we were talking about giving up the 85th pick. While I’m okay with this pick, the draft pick was of no consequence to sign a top of the rotation guy.
Completely agree with you, but still worth the 85th pick, in my opinion. I’m okay not signing him and I’m really okay not signing Framber. I think Elias knows that the FA SPs coming to market next year are much better and will take a bigger swing. I hope his trust in this rotation is well founded.
Yes he is. If you know baseball or even Sports in general then you should know not to judge someone off of a bad two and a half month stretch. Anyone can go into a two and a half month slump no matter how good they are just like anyone can get hot for 2 and 1/2 months. He was bad when he started the season but he was good when it counted. He looked like an ace with a 3.30 era down the stretch in his last 11 starts and he also led the league with 17 starts against teams with winning records. In 10 of those starts he went six Innings or more and gave up two runs or less and then the other seven he pitched to roughly a 3.90 era. So obviously the guy turned up when it counted most. He just wasn’t that good the first two and a half months because clearly something was off. He turned off the last two months unlike Suarez and Valdez who both fell off a cliff in September and august.
Just a general statement. Baltimore wouldn’t care as much about it as other teams. But still you would prefer not to give up the 300th pick vs giving it up. Goal is to give up as little as possible. 85th is still a impact prospect.
If the Alonso signing doesn’t go as expected, don’t expect more of that “top of the market” spending.
Well when you look at how absurdly good Elias has been at drafting, that pick’s potential value becomes more apparent.
Lots of teams do care about the draft pick. That’s one reason Gallen is still out there unsigned.
Gallen is not a top of the rotation guy.
He may not even be a mid rotation guy at this point.
You love to tell everyone how much you know before spouting off awful opinions.
Gallen is a #3 guy and look at his end of season numbers. He can still be a top of rotation guy but the fact that you said he may not even be a mid rotation guy means he’s a back of rotation or bullpen guy. That’s not true.
Be careful. We gave up 2 picks for Christian Walker. Rather not have done it.
I am very bearish on Gallen and all 30 GMs seem to agree with me to one degree or another since he remains unsigned in mid-February.
That was true for Bassitt a couple hours ago.
Gallen’s initial ask was far too high and the draft pick comp hurts him. I think he’s a solid starter but very possible that he & Bassitt post similar numbers next year.
I haven’t seen much of Gallen. Prospects are my interest. K rate drop is a red flag. Very inconsistent season. Lot of weak to bad starts. Ate innings though. I’d go with a weak #3. I wouldn’t been interested in signing him though. Red flag. Plenty of other options. People who say it’s just a draft pick I assume don’t understand or fans of a team who doesn’t draft well. Ohtani Soto who cares. Gallen it’s a big deal.
No team wants him or he doesn’t like their offers? Probably on him.
C as expected $.
Good pick up for the O’s. ALE just got harder to win.
Gallen to the Cubs then?
I’m calling Braves.
The Braves will not sign him simply due to the draft pick assigned to him
Dbags
Dbacks are the only team that wouldn’t have to give up picks.
What teams are willing/desperate enough to pay him anything beyond “DEEP DISCOUNT” territory? I think Gallen goes unsigned until we see more injuries.
Braves, Blue Jays, and Dbacks are the only teams that really need someone like him. Scherzer is still out there lurking in the shadows like a rabid dog. Any starters worth a damn beyond him left?
Gallen, Scherzer, Littell, and Giolito are left. That is almost an entire rotation. It is better than the Rockies rotation.
My high school has a better rotation than the Rockies!
The Rockies quietly put together a not terrible floor to fairly solid ceiling rotation over the last couple of days. Not good enough to win any diVision but definitely not a laughing stock aanymore
They just got Sugano. You could see some of the longest shots ever flying out of Coors this year.
Not the ace they needed but still a solid signing.
Who out there was an ACE? Not any free agent
Hell yeah.
Of the remaining SPs, he was my top choice.
At least a tier above Morton and Sugano from last year. Will it be enough? Who knows. But at least can expect meaningful contribution penciled in. The floor is higher than it was yesterday.
Oh NOW the orioles do something! Guessing they didn’t have enough pitchers report to camp.
Toronto will make the playoffs again
Solid deal for both. Surprised he didn’t go sooner. Had him to the Braves and thought I had a shot here. Oh well.
That sucks! I was hoping the Blue Jays would resign him. He’s a great veteran presence and will do anything to win. I wish him well in Baltimore.
Fangraphs projects a 2.0 WAR for Bassitt and the crowd source prediction $ and years was 36M over two years. More optimistic about the starting rotation now! Brightens the outlook a bit after the injury news for Holliday and Westburg. Go O’s!
Ridiculous contract. I like bassit, hes still very useful. But not at 17 million. And not when we already have eflin who has the same role. A solid get, but he doesnt fill the role we needed.
Ive not been super critical of elias, working on the assumption that he learned from last years mistake. Unfortunately the lack of landing a legit top third of rotation arm again, shows he has not. I respect not wanting to swim in the upper echelon of pitching contracts and demands. But it is irresponsible to expect bradish (injury prone), rogers (hasnt demonstrated his improvements over a full year yet) and baz (hasnt shown any consistency with his potential) to lead a contending rotation. Did the same thing last year expecting rodriquez, bradish, wells, and means to stay healthy and perform to a standard theyd never shown over a full year before.
It’s a 1 year deal, it’s fine.
And it’s inaccurate to say that Bradish is “injury prone.” All of the time he missed was due to one injury that they tried to rehab but ultimately resulted in surgery.
Ownership doesn’t seem to want to spend the money it takes to sign an ace; consequently, the team it seems will need to make a painful trade involving a young controllable bat to get their top of the rotation arm. Someone of Westburg’s caliber. Anything less, I doubt another team would trade an arm with ace potential.
Shane Baz was the type of trade acquisition you’re talking about and he didn’t cost Westburg.
And the new ownership group doesn’t seem to have any issues with spending as far as I can tell. Elias may be reluctant to hand out that type of a deal to a free agent pitcher though (and he’s right, at least in terms of what was available this offseason).
Baz is not a top of the rotation starter. He is an injury prone #4-5. A 19th percentile starter.
Baz is not injury prone unless a single injury somehow proves a pattern.
Like Bradish, all of the time he missed was due to 1 injury that they tried to rehab but ultimately resulted in surgery anyway.
It’s not his only injury. Its a history of injuries.
March 2022 – Arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow. Not UCL related.
September 2022 – Tommy John surgery
Setbacks in rehab moved his return to the beginning of 2024.
Spring training 2024 – Oblique Injury
2024 – Started season on injured list with elbow injury not UCL related. As such, unrelated to his Tommy John surgery.
Because of that injury he didn’t begin a rehab assignment until May of 2024
Injury prone.
He is a 19th percentile starter.
You will likely find that the Orioles already have an ace on their staff. At least one. Possibly two. Perhaps even three
LOL. I don’t know what’s more embarrassing, that you said this seriously or that 5 other O’s homers agreed with you. Easily the worst rotation in the division.
6 now 😉
Also, just because you’re woefully uninformed doesn’t make someone else a “homer” lol.
I agree with you. I feel like Elias is “hoping” and “wishing” for things to happen with those already on the roster rather than going out and getting a proven top of the rotation arm. Can’t be any worse than last year so I guess we’ll have to hope and wish with him. Not sure what this does to Kremer and all but assures Povich remains in Norfolk.
The pitching Market was a train wreck this offseason what are you talking about
You can’t blame Elias for not getting a top of the rotation arm, unless you’re assuming he didn’t make every sensible effort to do so, and I’m not for a second going to assume that. As for this being a ridiculous contract, I find that hard to claim when it’s for one year.
How’s $18.5 million for Bassitt ridiculous? Taijuan Walker signed for 4 years at $18 million a year four years ago, and he’s not as good as Bassitt. Prices have gone up since then, so you could make a case for Bassitt getting $20 million.
He’s a 2 win pitcher, and wins are going for about $10m per for free agents. So it’s a fair deal.
Boooooo
…bs
XD
So much for “we will see Bassitt to
ATL by the weekend” LOL
Glad that’s over
O’s better. East competitive
Wish they had signed him a few years ago instead but not a bad signing. The O’s will have to trade for a top arm when one becomes available on the trade market again. They just haven’t been able to get a #1 or #2 on the free agent market.
They may not need to. If they can stay relatively healthy, and they’re due for that, they may only need relievers at the deadline. Bradish if he’s healthy is likely in case, and baz and Rogers have the potential to be.
Gone away is the blue bird. Here to stay is the new bird.
The bird is the word.
Much better than Sugano. Hopefully enough til the deadline.
What a bummer. I grew to love having this dude on the team. One of my favourite Jays in years. It’s hard to blame him really for taking that deal though especially with the moves the Jays made for the rotation. I hope he does well.
All the talking heads on podcasts talking about how he would be good on several teams a a cheap option lol 18.5M.
A one year contract at less than a qualifying offer is fairly cheap for a reliable starter.
If zeflin is healthy for opening day, do the o’s break camp with a 6 man rotation?
I woukd guess Kremer goes to the pen as a bulk reliever (or maybe a piggyback partner for Bradish to manage his innings) until someone gets hurt or loses their spot by performing poorly.
Are you referring to led zeflin?
Gotta hand it to Toronto, Boston and the O’s, they managed to spend a little money, but not address their biggest holes, and in the process make sure the Yankees win the division again. Same as it ever was.
Yankees are going to regress literally everywhere.
Have a good season.
You are absolutely crazy. The Yankees sat on their hands on cemented themselves as the fourth best team in the division. They have absolutely zero chance of winning the division and there’s literally no possible way they’ll make it anywhere close to the world series. Boston Baltimore and Toronto are simply better player for player. The Yankees roster is nowhere close to any of those three. I can maybe see them coming in third at best because I feel like Boston is slightly overrated so that will be the battle for third place right there. The Yankees have a centerfielder and second baseman who had career years and they won’t duplicate that. They brought back the backup first baseman who’s been in the decline and they’re starting first baseman is an overrated youngster who has shown promise but you know how it is with young players. They have an extremely questionable Bullpen that is probably going to end up being a train wreck for them. The most overrated starting pitching staff and baseball. They have an ace. Fried.. Rodone is inconsistent. Every other year he’s good and every other year he’s barely mediocre.. He’s due for a slightly average year. Cole is washed. He’s done. He’s 10 days older than dirt and coming off Tommy Johnson surgery. We’re talking about a guy who’s so old he was contemplating retirement 3 years ago before he even had the injury. He will never be anywhere near what he was. Gil was a fluke his rookie season and he’s injury prone. They traded for a starter from the Marlins who’s inconsistent and only slightly above average on his best day. Their fifth starter Schultz or whatever the heck his name is won’t even be ready for the first month or two of the season and he’s only slightly above average. And nobody has ever heard of any of the other options they have for the rotation. They’re only slightly above average at third base with mcmahon, and have by far the worst shortstop in the division. They have a DH who’s old and about to hit a wall. The only sure things they have are fried, judge, and ballinger. And I guess you can say Jazz Chisholm but definitely not at the production level you saw in his career year last season. you think they have a snowball’s chance of Hell at winning the east? Get a clue and learn baseball
LOL. Learn baseball? Toronto lost the WS because they don’t have a closer. They still don’t have a closer. They overpaid Cease who is fine but not a big difference maker. Santander is hurt and Bichette is gone. They are worse. Boston needs a slugger and didn’t get one. Their starting pitching is fine but not better than the Yankees. And the Yankees offense is also still better than Boston. Orioles signed Alonso but didn’t improve their pitching. And their closer was a disaster with the Mets. Alonso is not putting this team in the playoffs by himself. They are still 4th place. Yankees always win 90+ and make the playoffs. Maybe you need to learn baseball.
@JB — Bullpen is the biggest concern in NYC but they have the prospects to add at the trade deadline, or they could call up LaGrange and Hess, both throw heat.
They could have a great rotation with Fried, Cole, Rodon, Warren and Gil/Schlittler. Best rotation in baseball if all are strong. McMahon and Volpe could have their best seasons. Both likely to hit 20+ HRs. Goldy had to have been playing through some sort of injury last season. He hit a ton early, and hits a ton against LHP. Goldy and Rice at 1B is solid. Best OF in MLB. Wells is potentially one of the better hitting catchers in baseball and if Stanton stays healthy, Yanks are a lock to lead the league in HRs. Good defense too.
Yanks have no holes as far as I see it. I have them as the favorites to win the AL East.
Monix, How did the Orioles not address their biggest holes? They needed a guy whom can drive in runs because the offense struggled big time with that last season. They traded for Ward. They needed a big bat in the middle of the lineup. They signed Alonso. They needed a really good closer. They signed Helsley. They needed starting pitching. They traded for Baz, signed Eflin, and Bassitt. What are you talking about?
They needed a really good closer so they signed a really bad closer. There, fixed it for you. Also Baz, Eflin and Bassitt are all #4 starters. They won’t move the needle. Worst rotation in the division.
Tampa?
Wassup slayer? The Orioles plucked a great pitching resource but on account of Boras, once again yet another team paying through the nose. But agreed the O’s didn’t do horribly this offseason. They’ll as usual be a thorn in the side of the Yanks, Rays, and Red Sox. For whatever reason they let Ryan O’hearn slide over to the NL/ Pirates. I think they could regret that one, otherwise Baltimore’s going to be legit this season. Too bad their regional broadcasting became an albatross. I enjoyed the days when I used to get MASN included in my ridiculous cable subscription. We’ll see if the gloriholes are any better this season than the flash in the pan they’ve dwindled to. I wouldn’t count on any postseason run, though.
They dont have a spot for o’hearn, they have 4 DH/1bs and really all lhh abs are going to go to Basallo.
Monix is a casual, go easy on him.
Says the clown fanboy hyping the O’s lousy rotation. It’s almost as if you’re new at baseball.
Good closer. Heisley….. I Almost threw up
Guys got a 140 era+ last 3. Not Bautista but fine
Giolito to the Braves in 3…2…
Seems like it. I’d pass on the pick to sign Gallen instead.
5.46 ERA for Gibson with the Orioles. How soon they forget.
Love bassitt but 18.5m?? Damn.
Bassitt and Alonso are hopefully both role models for this young team.
I wanted him in Atlanta, but not at $18M.
Like this signing. Would’ve loved to have Ranger at the money he got from Boston. Didn’t want anything to do with the head case Framber. Bradish, Rogers, Baz, Bassitt, and Eflin/Kremer…that’s a solid (not spectacular) group. Young guns show improvement, and we’re in the race for the playoffs.
The Suarez concert is going to go down as the worst concert of the off-season. Horrible contract for the red sox. He will probably be decent, above average to solid number three for the first two years, very average and inconsistent year three and years four and five are going to completely fall off a cliff and he’s going to get shelled. He might even get shelled this year who knows. Soft tossers in the American League East do not bode well. Remember he got hammered the last two months of the season last year
They’re called contracts, not concerts.
What Suarez concert?
Worst contract of the offseason:
Gold: Kyle Tucker
Silver: Bo Bichette
Bronze: Dylan Cease
Participation Ribbon: Ha Seoung Kim
If Dylan Cease is worth $210 million, Chris Bassitt is worth $18.5 million in an instant
MLB – I’d say Cease is hands down the biggest pitcher overpay this season.
@FPG Cease at $26M seems like a fair price… then again, I wouldn’t want my team to pay 7 years of Cease at that rate
SoCal – Agreed! It’s not the $27M AAV, it’s the 7 years that makes it a huge overpay.
He’s had two awful seasons over the past 3 years, his contract makes no sense.
Cease will give them 5 innings every fifth day. I don’t care how many he strikes out. Quintana throws 5 for a lot less.
2025 WAR
Bassitt 2.1
Quintana 1.3
Cease 1.1
Wow that is staggering.
I like this guy because when he made the All-Star team, and then he started on Sunday, he said “I’ll pitch an inning on Tuesday anyway – I probably will only make this one All-Star Game; I want to enjoy the moment and the experience”.
We need more guys like this.
One year at $18.5m for Bassitt makes Buehlers deal last year look even worse.
Solid pick up. Gotta be a little frustrating for Os fans tho.
I’m not frustrated at all. I’d still like one more solid RP, but Wells is now firmly in the bullpen after the Bassitt signing, so he may be that guy.
Very happy overall with our offseason.
Probably a pivot from not landing Verlander. Still think Baltimore should have landed a top of the rotation type arm. Guess we will see.
Bradish and upper mid rotation starter? He’s got a chance to be an ace!
I would go even further.
If healthy, he IS an ace.
Dude posts and is a gamer.
Surprised he had to settle for a one year deal.
Wish we could’ve gotten that top of rotation arm that we were looking for but, this guy is a consistently good workhorse, 170+ innings the last four years, 52-40 record, 3.77 ERA, 1.271 WHIP. And the biggest question mark for my O’s rotation is health. Bradish/Wells/Eflin coming back from varied in length injuries. An acceptable move if not the best move to make at this point in my opinion.
Technically bradish and wells came back last yr but yes still a question can they go 30+ starts
President of baseball operations Mike Elias has made a habit of signing OLD starters to 1 year deals.
There. Fixed it for you.
There are not too many young FA starters signing one year deals.
Hence why he signs OLD starters.
Tyler Wells is going to be a huge part of the Orioles’ bullpen. He’s better as a reliever, and if he’s in the rotation, then things have gone horribly wrong for the Orioles. Wells is not gonna go back to Norfolk to start. He’s gonna be a big time reliever for the Orioles, and not one who specializes in long relief. Long relief looks to be Albert Suarez.
I mean it’s not a home run move but if they go with a 6 man rotation of Bradish, Rodgers, Baz, Bassitt, Eflin, Kremer to ensure quality rest for everyone I would like to think that’s a pretty solid rotation. Maybe throw Wells in there if one of the back end guys stumbles out the gate.
Huge signing if he passes his physical ( a big if with the O’s!)
Coming in hot after an outstanding World Series in relief;
pitched well late post injury; seems of good character (he and his wife
do a lot of community work in Toronto) and a good team mate.
Well known to the O’s and Elias. I have watched him pitch for the Jay. Just completed a 60 million for 3 years
free agent contract with the Jays. Durable, at least 30 starts 4 straight years .he is much better than the
Jordan Lyles , Kyle Gipson’s and Charlie Mortons of years past.
He’s probably the best starting pitcher left; for the money
he is a safer signing than Valdez and Gallen. (poor second half for
Veldez; decline of 2 years for Gallen; outrageous Boris
clients contract demands; 40 million per for Valdez and near
30 millions for Gallen and too many years for aging pitchers with injury history;( can you say Corbin Burns,)
I can’t believe the Jays let a division rival sign him from
right under their nose! Now the Jays, Braves all need starting
pitcher and spring training just started.
It has been said you need 9 starters to last the entire season.
What a difference with David Rubenstein as owner (vs the Angelos);
Elis and Sig Mejdal are the best people you can have.
This is what my ex wife’s email formats look like.
You must have seen something in her (to marry her).
Good depth signing because as know from last year injuries will happen. Still need a top of the rotation guy
1.81 ERA over 100+ innings is a pretty decent start with Rogers. Bradish has an era of under 3 over last 240 innings. Eflin has thrown over 1k innings with an era around 4. Bassitt has thrown over 170 innings average last four season with an era under 4. Kremer tossed 170 innings last season with a 4.19 era from the 5th spot. Baz doesn’t have the numbers yet but has been repeatedly talked about as having top of the rotation potential.
Maybe no bonafide ace but the Os have multiple guys that could at least get Cy Young votes.
Injuries injuries injuries. The orioles seem plagued by them. Don’t be Elias and think oh we got 5 starters and we’re good. There is no one in the minors to step in if a starter gets injured. K
Who?
This Orioles rotation reminds me of the Cubs rotation. Maybe not a clear “Ace” but pretty solid 1-5 w multiple guys who can step up and pitch like Aces for stretches of time. Bradish and Baz are like Horton and Cabrera. Rogers is like Steele or Boyd and Bassitt similar to Taillon. Kramer and Imanaga both solid pitchers as well.
Elias is terrible. Bassitt is not what his team needs. Gallen would have been better, even Littell would have worked.
I really thought they would get one of the lefties in Valdez or Suarez. Not sure Gallen wants to pitch for a team that doesn’t have ST in Arizona. This was probably the best pivot. I think most people would take Bassitt over Littell.
I’ll bet you an upvote that Bassitt outperforms Gallen in 2026.
Sure, until its time to play a game that actually matters.
Unlike Gallen, Bassitt played in a bunch of games that “mattered” last year and he was really good in those games (1 ER, 10 Ks in 8.2 IP).
Has to be noted that Bassitt was used out of the pen in the postseason.
Great #’s but relief numbers
He was still excelling against the best of the best under the brightest lights.
You can upvote your own comment.
I think terrible may be a stretch. The rotation now…
Rogers
Bradish
Baz
Bassitt
Kremer/Eflin
This is the best rotation the Os have had since the 90’s. Then in the pen they added Helsley in addition to now having depth with Wells, Suarez, and Povich. In the lineup he brought in Alonso and Ward (73 homeruns combined last season) and improved the depth and flexibility with Blaze Alexander. Seems like he literally improved every area of the roster while barely increasing the payroll. Im pretty good with what Elias did this offseason
My thoughts too. Bradish will amaze everyone this year.
Everybody forgets Keegan Atkins..
He was underated last season, he was one of the few dealing out of the pen in the 2nd half. He might get a chance to be the closer. I dont think hes forgotten, its that we are talking about starters
Mets had the same issue last year, no number one dependable starter/ace, While he made a lot of nice moves he missed out on his number one priority. Something they have been trying to address for YEARS.
Littell would not work at Camden
You think Littell is better than Bassit?
8th in total innings over last 5 years while not hitting over 100 innings until 30 is kinda wild
So much for the rumors for him signing with the Braves. Now what do they do?
A gamer and a beaut. Will make a great GM some day.
Does this signing improve the roster? Absolutely. Chris Bassitt’s stats speak for itself from 2019-2025. Great Move. 100% this move improves the Orioles.
There is a zero % chance that Efflin takes Kremers spot. They may go 6 man, but Kremer is going no where.
If everyone is healthy and productive, and they choose to stick with a 5 man rotation, Kremer will be in the pen.
That is very unlikely to happen, however, and even if it does, it is unlikely to last very long.
I think a 6-man if they’re healthy is pretty likely at some point this season. Health is unlikely but there’s a couple guys in the rotation who didn’t throw full starter workloads last year.
Assuming everyone is healthy (which is assuming a lot, obviously), Kremer could piggyback with Bradish early in the year to limit Kyle’s workload for later in the season and playoffs.
Well done. Now they passed the Yankees as well as the Rays, and can probably beat the Bosox as well.
They did not pass the Yankees. Don’t know when Cole is back, but the Yankees have a much better starting 5.
I meant the team as a whole has passed NY, but Cole isn’t the only guy who’s out for season start, and if the Os rotation is healthy, it might well out perform NY.
But we shall see.
I like this for the Orioles. Thought DD would sign him in Philly, maybe they go after Gallen or Giolito now
I’m not hating this move. He may not raise the ceiling on the rotation, but he definitely raises the floor. Very solid pitcher.
Ok, it’s better than the Charlie Morton sigining but Bassit wasn’t anyone’s first choice. I just compared the last 3 seasons for Bassit and Dean Kremer and most people would be surprised to know that Dean Kremer actually has a lower WHIP, lower H/9 and lower BB/9 than Bassit. Bassit has made 10 more starts over the course of 3 seasons with a WAR of 4.6 compared to Kremer at 4.1. Bassit has an ERA just under 4 and Dean is just over 4 due to his 1.3 HR/9.
Of course we can never have too many starters but if we were not going to get a top tier guy to complement Braddish we probably should have invested in a few killers in the bullpen. Every night when we see some combo of Rico, Wolfram, Selby, Cano or Enns blow a lead I’ll be thinking about how Robert Suarez signed for just 3/$45mil.
My biggest questions are the offensive side of the roster. Mountcastle is still on the team. It’s hard to see him as a part time player especially at his salary. Mayo still has a lot of value. Why hasn’t he been traded? Are they not expecting much from ONeil? Khersted? Seems to be way more guys than needed.
Bassitt and his wife Jessica were valued members of the Toronto community. Their charitable work was terrific.
Chris Bassitt was a big part of the Jays’ success. Would have welcomed him back but always assumed he’d get a more appealing and lucrative offer elsewhere. I wish him personal success in the coming year.
Lots of low quality opinions. Orioles spent money, fans should be happy. No bad 1 year deals. Bassitt is quality enough to start in the playoffs. We’ll done O’s
Love Bassitt as an add for the O’s but he’s not a starter in the playoffs.
O’s fans should be happy. They needed another pitcher for sure. He is a solid pro. The American League is going to be a free for all this year. It should be exciting to say the least.
Bassitt is an underrated starter
not always the best outings but he ate a lot of innings for us and kept us going all the way to the show. Incredible during the World Series in relief so I was hoping we’d sign him back, help us offset the Bieber delay. But we got a lot of new pitching now and all upgrades so we’ll see how that goes.
Happy for him, he’s a great clubhouse guy and I appreciated his time here in Toronto. AL East is going to be a fight and that’ll make for great baseball
With ABS now a part of the majors, it’ll be interesting to see if Bassitt gets the edge case strike calls instead of walks. That’s going to be the case for a lot of pitchers but Bassitt may directly benefit
Come on Braves. What are y’all doing!
I don’t hate it, but he’s not the TOR pitcher needed.
I see the Bradish comments. Has missed much of the past 2 seasons and had surgery. He pitched ace quality for the 2nd half of 2023, that’s awhile ago.
Health is a big question mark for Bradish and Eflin, while Baz also had an injury history.
Does anyone seriously believe Rogers will pitch like Walter Johnson again?
Bassit is aging but…he’s averaged 30 starts a year the past 5 years, just on the good side of average overall. They needed that a lot. Kremer does that too, but at the #5, innings eater level.
The feeling you had when Burnes took the ball every 5 days (or someone like Mussina or Palmer way long ago) versus this rotation…there’s a difference.
FanGraphs may bump them up from 17th a few spots, maybe around Yankees/Rays at 13 and 14. Not world beaters but I would think they can avoid prying Kyle Gibson off the couch and throwing $5M at him to be destroyed.
Thornton I don’t know what you wanted Bradish to do that he didn’t in his starts last year. He’s looked like an ace for a long time. They had the kid gloves on for his 5 start cameo but he looked very good.
Bradish tossing 200 innings this year probably isn’t very likely but he is an ace level talent for sure.
No one else is in our rotation.
I am very high on Baz too. I like him a lot and think he will take a big step here.
(I think Forret is going to settle in as a nice mid rotation starter for TB down the line)
You can’t be an ace by not pitching.
He had that sustained stretch in 2023, 2nd half of the season, when he was ace material but a lot of dust has gathered on that. But right now there are 9 or 10 pitchers I take before him just in the AL, that’s if he’s healthy. Outside of Baltimore he’s considered a #2 starter. Which is good. Just not as good as he’s upheld in town.
I suspect an innings limit at least his first several starts, 5 innings or so.
Now the Orioles signing Bassitt really pi$$es me off. Braves should’ve signed him in November. Now here we are with a bunch of injury prone underachievers. I mean, did they figure Elder will be as good as Bassitt so no need to spend money on another arm? Didn’t AA say since LAST OCTOBER that he was going to sign a quality Major League starter? Boy, I hope the offense is clicking and the bullpen is healthy because they’re gonna need to carry this rotation. And maybe bring up young pitchers from Gwinnett but can any of them throw 180 innings then take the mound in a playoff series? “Doubtful” is the most optimistic response I can provide. “No” is the appropriate response.
Lol at the narrative. Elias also found success with the one year of Lyles and Burnes. 50/50 at worst. And even then Gibson last year was a pivot to duct tape the rotation.
Being older than most of you all, I’m still blown away by this “Bassitt has surpassed 150 innings in each of the last five seasons, one of just six pitchers to do that. He’s eighth in total innings over that stretch.” 150IP
Mikenmn: Especially after reading Mickey Lolich’s stats after he passed away the other day.
Blue Jays signed a bunch of guys early in the offseason and somehow will come into spring training with an even worse roster. Geesh.
It’s a good pickups for the Orioles. Bassitt is a good pitcher and they need it. So the AL Postseason picture is like.
AL East-Blue Jays, Yanks, RSox, O’s (Big time contenders). Rays (In the bubble)
AL Central-Tigers (Big time contenders) Guardians, Royals. (In the bubble)
White Sox (Surprise Contender) Twins-Fans Wish.
AL West-Mariners, Astros (Big time contenders). Rangers (In the bubble) A’s, Angels (Surprise Contender)
Good takes for top teams, although I don’t see the White Sox nor Angels contending. No way.
In terms of “surprise” teams in the AL, I’ll take the Rangers and Royals making the playoffs, and the A’s being close to .500. (Certainly beating the Vegas prediction of 75.5 wins)
This is one of those underrated guys on any staff. He was great on the Mets a few years back. He’s probably a 4.00 era guy at this point, but if you can put him in the back end of any rotation he’s a veteran guy that’s gonna give you innings. Money is what it is. At this point it’s all funny money.
Was hoping the A’s were going to shock the baseball world, and bring this proven vet back into their organization.
But good for Baltimore. Solid add by the Orioles, and obviously Bassitt is familiar with the AL East. Nice to see so many competitive teams in one division.
Anthopoulos is going to lose his job soon
AL East is wide open.
1. Yankees
2. Red Sox
3. Orioles
4. Jays
5. Rays
Stupid ranking.
Stupid reply
Just because Francis and Bieber are on the IL doesn’t mean that the Jays are dropping to fourth over the O’s. Bassitt is not that big of a difference maker. Red Sox are better but not that good. I could see New York there though.
Well, it’s a matter of opinion, I guess. Just because I have a different opinion doesn’t mean my ranking is stupid.
The Yankees scored the most runs last season, and I think players like Wells, Rice, Jasson, and Volpe will improve offensively, plus they’ve got great pitching, even with Cole and Rodon missing some time.
The Red Sox have really strong pitching and a good offense. I fear them the most. Orioles vs. Jays is a close race in my eyes. I think Holliday and Westburg are due for breakout seasons, plus they have Alonso, Henderson, Rutschman, Ward, etc.. Their pitching should be more than solid.
As for the Jays, I think they overperformed last year, and I expect some regression, especially since their signings didn’t really impress me. They had their shot at the title and couldn’t capitalize. But hey, that’s just my opinion.
I agree with Rays being 5th. Their pitching hangs in there, the offense does not.
Orioles have the most question marks and uncertainty. Most of rotation has an “if and but” mostly dealing with injury. On offense adding Alonso and Ward helps, but the biggest difference will be reversing slide for Henderson, Rutschman, Cowser, etc.
Yankees seem a little shaky however they also had the least amount of question marks coming in and they have or will address any issues. Also whether this is Yankee fan angst or not, whenever there are question marks coming into a season the Yankees have tended to overperform.
Red Sox and Jays both aggressively sought to improve or address issues this winter.
All else equal, I think its a gauntlet.
1. Red Sox 91-71
2. Jays 88-74
3. Yankees 86-76
4. Orioles 84-78
5. Rays 78-84
The only team I don’t think can win the div is the Rays. But stranger things have happened. The Div could also have 3 WC teams. The grouping is also far within variability that comes with injury, luck, a tremendous or awful 1 run game record, etc.
I doubt the Rays perform over the Astros/Mariners, Rangers, Guardians/Tigers.
I might flip the Red Sox and Yankees but otherwise, this seems about right to me.
The Yankees bullpen looks potentially just as shaky as ours.
Relievers are volatile and bargain bin pickups can end up changing things. But they’ve lost Devin Williams & Weaver and didn’t add any high leverage guys. Doval was pretty bad in NY last year & wasn’t good in 2024.
I dont love it but at this point I dont hate it either. I like it the tiniest little bit. But also have to acknowledge it was a move based on what was left and in that respect, okay it can work. As an offseason grade of acquiring a front of the rotation starter, not sure its a real nice grade. I do have a lot of confidence in Baz and am a big fan of the move so I can excuse missing out on the top SP names. But think if you wanted to play at the big kid’s table this year maybe the move was Baz and Suarez or Framber or Michael King. The SP offseason moves feel more like a you could get through the door move than a you could kick the door down move. And so far, think the criticism of Elias has been the former, moves that may be good enough. But the Alonso add was a strong encouraging aggressive move.
I can see a path where the Os are competing for a playoff spot and get it but still some doubt. Holliday injuring his hand isnt great in that respect. I think Bassitt does help improve the team but I am not sure its substantial. Like maybe replacing a guy with a 4.10 ERA with a guy with a 3.96 ERA. I would rather have Bassitt in the rotation than Kremer. But think the potential to get a guy significantly better was missed. He does seem to have a solid postseason record and in that respect think he is a nice improvement over Dean.
I can appreciate the move too as a quality placeholder if you want to try again next year in FA with maybe a Woodruff or Peralta or someone else that is a more appealing front of the rotation guy than what was left yesterday.
A starter will go down at some point so it’s really more a depth upgrade.
Cade Povich shouldn’t be getting many starts unless we get decimated. Kremer starting those games instead of him is a W.
The O’s have thrown together good pens with Elias but this one doesn’t look particularly strong. Hoping a lot of short season performances from relievers continue for us this year.
Can’t say Holliday injury is so crushing. (Not saying he will be the better hitter but) frankly, no-prdigree JJackson is a 2b and outplayed holliday last year with 170 pas @ near 120 rbat+ while JH has not had a string of abs that come close to that yet. JJ plus the new util guy make 2b about the best backed-up position on the field.
And dont fall for the ‘JH is young, he will improve’ thing. He can’t hit MLB Pitching. Others like him didnt either. Found 26 comps since 2000 had 700 pas by age 23 who like JH had a rbat+ starting with an 8 for those pas. that group produced just 2 above average hitters in their 6 control years.
An 8% chance of above avg. Holliday is a year or so younger than the comps but it still ain’t happening.
I personally have high hopes and think Holliday has a lot of potential and a tremendous upside. I think if he looked similar in 2025 to how he looked in 2024 it would be worrisome but think he made nice strides last year. Plenty of guys have modest production early coming into the league at age 20 or close to it, like Griffey and Bryce, and then its a few years later, more than 700 ABs, before they really break out. Not saying he is either of them but I can see him being a Bo Bichette type of player with a nice average and enough pop to contribute, 15-25 HRs, doubles power. I felt Holliday looked solid until later in the year.
My version of a competitive 2025 Os has Holliday being productive. Not sure I see the Os as a playoff team with Blaze Alexander getting most of the ABs. From the angle of I’m not sure he can hit in the majors, I think Cowser may be that guy and not sure it works to have him getting a ton of ABs.
Roll the clock back a bit and I agree about Holliday’s upside. It’s more or less dimished. I don’t think Holliday has superstar upside anymore but could still become a great player.
I also have high hopes but they are just that, hopes. I can’t find much to upgrade those hopes into expectations.
Bryce? He hit 120+ wrc+ his rookie year and never looked back. After 2 years and ,700 pas, Jackson has had maybe a few weeks at that level. And griffey was 110 his rookie year. Seriously, Bo? Bo hit 140 as a rookie.
And JH worsens his situation by being a bad fielder and nearly THE worst baserunner in the league. He has a lot of work to do. You may not like to hear it, but both alexander and Jackson have been significantly more productive players.
Should have retired a Jay….
I agree with you 💯 Toronto should have resigned him for at least 2 more years at 13.5 mil a year when he was there he consistently made 30 starts each season his first year there he went 16-7 with an ERA under 4 and I think he stuck out 160 or 170 batter’s and he also went at least 6 innings per start that year as well so I hope he does good in Baltimore I wish him the best of luck he was one of my favorite pitchers in Toronto and I had him in my fantasy league each year he was in Toronto
Bassitt has been underrated most of his career. I like the signing, though the $$$ seems a bit steep for a 37=year old SP who had to hang around until mid-February before any MLB team stepped up and signed him.
With Bassitt here and past successful SPs wells and suarez in reserve way better than young Povich, can M.E. swap Kremer + for an upgrade?
Who could use an almost average innings eater? So I asked Grok who has the most injury risk, he surveyed buncha sources, and didn’t even put Os in top ten. Apparently, the comebacks from Bradish Wells Rogers satisfy the models out there.
But so interesting: the Yanks, Jays, And Rsox all made the top 5!!!
But for a swap, maybe Texas could use stability,Oakland could save $ and get rid of unhappy Severino, way over budget Detroit could save $ if Os took Javy and Reese Olson.
Chris Bassitt was much admired and respected during his 3 years in Toronto
He was a model teammate and public figure. Many Jays fans wanted him resigned and wish him (almost) every success in Baltimore.
Sad day in JaysLand
Pffff! Orioles WISH they could have signed Fedde!
I smell an Orioles vs Blue Jays rivalry!
Seems like every other day MONEY BALL is on the tube— still yet as many times as they re-run it MLB owners remain ignorant, regardless of the fact it’s based entirely on truth. Billy Beane played hardball better than any other 21st century mlb manager could have played it. The owners and GM’s apparently learned very little from the outcome, except to rest on their analytics laurels. While the ridiculous train wreck of overpaying players rolls on until that looming CBA reality check stands firmly positioned to derail the whole shebang. A harsh reckoning awaits, sorry to say. Mlb owners and the incompetent GMs haven’t learned a thing!
It’s almost disgusting they didn’t want burns but they are all chris bassist for 1 year 20 million.
I think Burnes is from Arizona. He wanted to play in his home state. Money wasn’t the biggest factor for him.
I remember now
They did want Burnes and made the highest annual average value offer ever made for a pitcher at the time. Burnes wanted to play in Arizona.
– Kyle Bradish
– Trevor Rogers
– Chris Bassitt
– Shane Baz
– Dean Kremer
This is one of the O’s best Opening Day rotations in a very long time.
Yeah, if they do what we know they can, probably the best since 1997
The analysis towards the end of this article is pretty wild. There is no chance that Kremer or Wells are going to AAA unless its because they got hurt and need rehab. Kremer was nearly an identical pitcher to Bassit; it’s not a lock that Bassit replaces him.. Wells has bullpen experience–leverage experience even. He will undoubtedly be on the OD roster as a reliable swingman. And as good as Rogers was, Bradish is the number one and a clearly deserved number one, not “upper mid rotation”