In an American League East that looks competitive top to bottom, the Orioles made another move to solidify an area of need.
Baltimore and right-handed pitcher Chris Bassitt agreed to a one-year, $18.5 million contract, noti.group’s Jon Heyman confirmed on Wednesday.
Bassitt gets $500,000 in incentives as part of the deal.
The Braves were among the teams thought to be interested in Bassitt, Heyman reported in January.
The soon-to-be 37-year-old stays in the AL East after spending the last three seasons with the Blue Jays following a one-year stint with the Mets.
He continued to be an innings eater in 2025, throwing at least 170 frames for the fourth straight season.
Bassitt held a 3.96 ERA (and 4.01 FIP) with 166 strikeouts as the Blue Jays won the division and came two outs shy of their third World Series crown.
He pitched 8²/₃ innings — all in relief — in the playoffs and yielded just one earned run.
An All-Star in 2021 with the A’s, Bassitt has a 3.64 ERA and a 1.246 WHIP across 11 big league seasons.
Baltimore has been active this offseason, especially in the pitching market by re-signing Zach Eflin, trading for Shane Baz and bringing in hard-throwing reliever Ryan Helsley on a two-year deal.
Ex-Mets slugger Pete Alonso came over on a five-year pact to bolster the offense.
The Orioles, with a combination of injuries and inconsistencies, finished last season with the fifth-worst pitching staff ERA at 4.60.
As of Wednesday, Fangraphs projected Baltimore to win 83.7 games — nearly three behind the Yankees — with a 53.7 percent chance to make the playoffs.
While Bassitt might not go 200 innings again as he did five years ago, he should be a stabilizing force for a rotation that needs it.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
