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The Blue Jays should re-sign Chris Bassitt as a reliever
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Photo credit: © Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Ben Wrixon
Feb 3, 2026, 19:00 ESTUpdated: Feb 3, 2026, 15:41 EST
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It’s February, yet Chris Bassitt remains a free agent after a solid campaign in 2025. The Toronto Blue Jays should take advantage of his seemingly weak market by offering him a new contract to pitch out of their bullpen as a high-leverage reliever. 
Bassitt was his usual reliable self as a starting pitcher last season, recording a 3.96 ERA and 166 strikeouts across 170 ⅓ innings pitched. He made at least 30 starts for the fourth straight year despite landing on the injured list at the end of September. 
The 36-year-old returned from his injury as a reliever in the ALCS before becoming one of the Blue Jays’ most trusted weapons in the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He gave up just one run on three hits across 8 ⅔ innings out of the bullpen in the playoffs. 
Bullpen Bassitt was a different beast. He threw his fastballs harder, simplified his repertoire, and attacked hitters more aggressively than he did during the regular season. He also handled pressure-packed situations with the cool demeanour of an 11-year veteran. 
This mix of composure and savviness would be a serious boost to a Blue Jays’ bullpen that is not without its question marks in 2026. Having Bassitt as an option would give manager John Schneider an arm he could trust in any meaningful situation. 
A reunion also makes sense from a tactical perspective. The Blue Jays love funky pitchers who make hitters uncomfortable—case in point, Tyler Rogers—and Bassitt is exactly that with his three-quarters arm angle and eight-pitch arsenal. Confusion and deception are increasingly important in this era of baseball, where teams are preparing using TrakJet machines. 
Bassitt, like Eric Lauer, would also provide valuable starting pitching depth in case of an injury. The Blue Jays’ rotation appears loaded on paper, but the adage about never having too much pitching always rings true over the course of a 162-game season. 
There’s also something to be said for Bassitt’s leadership. He and fellow veteran Max Scherzer were two of the most important voices on the 2025 Blue Jays; losing both of them in one offseason could have unfortunate repercussions from a culture standpoint. 
The most likely outcome for Bassitt is that he signs a deal with a new team willing to pencil him into their Opening Day rotation. Plenty of teams around the league would love to have him as their third or fourth-best option. Still, if none of the offers are to his liking, running it back with the Blue Jays as a reliever could make a lot of sense for both sides. 

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