If you had some choice words after Toronto’s 13-0 loss to Tampa Bay yesterday, you weren’t the only one. Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt, who tied a career-high with his ninth loss of the season during that affair, offered his thoughts to the media, albeit in a very professional manner.

“I would say there are a lot of demons many of us are fighting right now,” Bassitt told reporters following Toronto’s third consecutive series loss on Sunday. “We just have to be grown-ups and put a better effort forward.

“Everything that’s going on. Being down 12-0. Being down 5-0. Giving up that many hits. Not being able to hit. The trade deadline. Who’s going to be here. Who’s not going to be here. There’s a million different things right now that are just not great. But, it is what it is.”

This isn’t the first time that Bassitt has given his unfiltered, honest, and accountable opinion of how the team has been playing. Back in April after a win over the Mariners, Bassitt told reporters, “I’ve been pretty disappointed in our starters so far. This is my third start and two of my starts were terrible, in my opinion. I’m no help to the problem.” The team had just reached 6-6, but Bassitt, Kevin Gausman, and Bowden Francis had been roughed up in a couple of their starts to open the season.

The pitching eventually came around, but the offence was lodging itself in its 2023 ways by depending heavily on the starting pitchers. After a June loss to the Brewers – a game with more offensive woes – Bassitt said that the starters “have got to be good. That’s just the reality of our team. Our starters have to be good and I feel like we’ve done a lot better job over the last month of doing that.”

Do I blame Bassitt for any of that? Of course not. In fact, I encourage it, and it’s as close to “This isn’t the try league. This is the get it done league,” as Blue Jays baseball has gotten since Josh Donaldson uttered that quote nine years ago. From his point of view, Bassitt signed a three-year, $63 million deal prior to the ’23 season. During his previous five major league seasons, he had been a part of four postseason teams, and he joined the Blue Jays during their competitive window. He’s pitched through injury or discomfort, thrown a gem just hours before catching a flight to witness the birth of one of his children. Hell, he was even coaching up Jose Berrios prior to his own start yesterday. To this point in his current contract, the Blue Jays have been an underwhelming and underachieving bunch. He’s done a lot for this team, and he’s got a right to be frustrated.

Yesterday, a crowd of 41,148 watched the Blue Jays drop to 46-56 overall and 2-4 since the All-Star break. Bassitt laboured through five innings, allowing five hits, three runs, a walk, and six strikeouts, but he still had the team in a position to win. From that point forward, however, four different relievers combined to allow 11 hits, 10 runs, and five walks (it should be noted that one of those relievers was Ernie Clement). Righty reliever Trevor Richards, a name that has floated around as a potential trade chip, put together his fifth rough outing in his last six, bringing his season ERA to 4.83 and his trade value far lower.

There have been conflicting reports on whether or not non-pending free agents are in danger of being traded at the deadline, with Bassitt being among that group. With the trade deadline a matter of days away, however, who knows if a team will make the Blue Jays an enticing offer on names like Bassitt and Gausman at the eleventh hour? If that were to come to fruition, it would be the third time Bassitt would have been traded in his career. However, it would be the first time that he would be dealt mid-season.