The reality of starting pitching rotations around Major League Baseball is that there will always be a few arms in each rotation that aren’t exactly ace caliber.
At the end of the day, outside of the Los Angeles Dodgers, most teams have at least one starter fans don’t feel great about.
The Toronto Blue Jays are one of the teams with a strong rotation, but perhaps not elite arms everywhere.
That was the case last year with someone like Chris Bassitt.
While Bassitt isn’t Paul Skenes, he still has above-average stuff, and there’s value in keeping pitchers like him around.
However, the right-hander is a free agent this offseason, and some don’t expect him to return to Toronto. Others believe it’s still a possibility, including Jim Bowden of The Athletic, who had the latest on his situation.
“The Padres are looking for an inexpensive starter on a shorter-term deal and Bassitt is likely to land a short-term deal. He proved with Toronto that he has something left in the tank; he can help the Padres be contenders.
“If the O’s miss on the other starters, I can see them making a late play for Bassitt. I also think it’s possible he could return to Toronto to give them starting pitching depth,” he wrote.
It’s a bit surprising that Bassitt isn’t getting as much attention as he probably should.
He may not be elite, but he’s been extremely reliable in recent years, and there’s real value in a starter who has made at least 27 starts in each of the past five seasons.
More Blue Jays news:
- Blue Jays, Red Sox among teams that have called Diamondbacks for Ketel Marte
- Red Sox reportedly in the mix for Blue Jays’ Bo Bichette, which might be telling about Alex Bregman’s future
- Blue Jays are favorites for Kyle Tucker, but Yankees, Mets, and Dodgers reportedly in the mix
- Blue Jays linked to Alex Bregman to replace Bo Bichette, despite Red Sox being favorites to sign star
- Veteran former Blue Jays pitcher could ‘find his way’ back to Toronto
- Blue Jays were reportedly stealing the Yankees signs, but not in a bad way