Chris Bassitt is continuing his career in Baltimore.

Bassitt, 36, pitched three seasons for the Blue Jays and posted a 3.96 ERA through 170.1 regular-season innings in 2025, with 166 strikeouts and 56 walks. 

He was also an integral part of the Blue Jays’ run to the World Series, coming out of the bullpen in the ALCS and Fall Classic, where he posted a 1.04 ERA with 10 punchouts in 8.2 innings. 

Bassitt now joins a revamped Orioles rotation that added Shane Baz via trade and re-signed Zach Eflin, to go along with incumbent starters Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers and Dean Kremer.

The Orioles are aiming to return to contention after a down season in 2025 that saw the team post a 75-87 record and finish last in the highly competitive American League East. Baltimore made the playoffs in each of the previous two seasons.

Bassitt began his career with the Chicago White Sox, pitching there for one year before he joined the Oakland Athletics, where he would spend six seasons. He played one season with the New York Mets before joining the Blue Jays.

An 11-year MLB veteran, Bassitt’s future with the Blue Jays seemed uncertain after the team made multiple additions to its starting rotation earlier in free agency. Shane Bieber remained with the Blue Jays after the right-hander picked up his player option, then the team agreed to terms with Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce in December.

However, with Bieber currently week to week with forearm fatigue and slated to miss the start of the season, and Bowden Francis out for the year after undergoing elbow surgery, the Blue Jays now appear to be potentially in need of additional pitching depth.

Bassitt was part of an era of Blue Jays baseball marked by exceptional rotation durability, with him, Kevin Gausman, and Jose Berrios all ranking in the top 10 in innings pitched over the last three seasons.

New Blue Jays addition Cease is also a member of the group, ranking ninth in innings pitched since the start of 2023.