Chris Bassitt is staying in the AL East.
The Baltimore Orioles agreed to an $18.5 million, one-year contract with the right-hander Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the agreement was pending a physical. The deal includes a $3 million signing bonus, and Bassitt can earn $500,000 in performance bonuses if he starts at least 27 games.
Bassitt, who turns 37 on Feb. 22, has reached that number of starts each of the last five seasons.
ESPN was the first to report on the contract.
Bassitt went 11-9 with a 3.96 ERA for AL champion Toronto last year. He has pitched at least 157 1/3 innings in each of the past five seasons, and only once in the last eight seasons has he posted an ERA above 4.00.
Bassitt joins a Baltimore rotation that includes Shane Baz, Trevor Rogers and Zach Eflin. Baz was acquired in a December trade with Tampa Bay, and Eflin re-signed with the Orioles for a $10 million, one-year contract.
After two straight years in the playoffs, Baltimore finished last in the AL East with a 75-87 record in 2025. It made a big splash in free agency when it signed first baseman Pete Alonso to a $155 million, five-year contract in December.
But the Orioles could use an improved rotation after last year's starters ranked 24th in the major leagues with a 4.65 ERA. Team president Mike Elias said in November the team was trying to find "whether it’s ‘top’ or ‘front’ or ‘top half’ of the rotation, all those buckets.”
That was after Baltimore traded right-hander Grayson Rodriguez in a deal for outfielder Taylor Ward — and before the Orioles landed Alonso. Since then, they have added Baz and brought back Eflin.
Still, after Ranger Suárez (Boston) and Dylan Cease (Toronto) signed elsewhere in the division, and with Framber Valdez now in Detroit, not much seems to have changed in how Baltimore is approaching its rotation. The Orioles haven't made any long, big-dollar commitments to their starters, instead adding to the rotation via one-year deals or trades.
Before last season, Baltimore signed Charlie Morton, Tomoyuki Sugano and Kyle Gibson to one-year deals, and the aggregate result from those three was quite disappointing.
Bassitt arrives with a better recent track record than Gibson had, and he's a good deal younger than Morton was. The Orioles can also hope for better health from Kyle Bradish, who made six starts last year, and a full season from Rogers, who went 9-3 with a 1.81 ERA over 18 starts in 2025.
The Orioles hold their first full-squad workout of spring training on Monday.
AP Baseball Writer Jay Cohen contributed to this report.
This version has been corrected to show Rogers had a 1.81 ERA.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
FILE - Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Chris Bassitt throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the seventh inning in Game 4 of baseball's World Series, Oct. 28, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge turned to the Bleacher Creatures during their first-inning Roll Call at the New York Yankees' home opener Friday, bent a knee and flexed with both arms in honor of Brett Gardner.
“Still hoping he gets a chance to come back here and share his knowledge with the boys a little bit,” Judge said after his go-ahead, two-run homer in the first inning started the Yankees to an 8-2 win over the Miami Marlins. “He was a big part of this team, his long tenure here as a Yankee, so I always like paying him a little credit. He's tuned into the game and watching.”
Gardner spent his entire big league career with the Yankees from 2008-21, and Judge made his major league debut with New York in 2016. Judge started flexing for Roll Call when playing center field, Gardner's old position. Judge roomed with Gardner in 2017.
“He was a leader. He was a professional. He was a prankster. He was everything that you look for in a guy to lead the team,” Judge said, speaking slowly and choosing his words carefully. “He took me in at a young age when I first got here and he treated me just like everybody else and showed me respect. He taught me a lot of things. It kind of teaches you how to lead a clubhouse. He had a big influence on me not only on the field but inside this clubhouse, just the way he played the game and the way he held everybody to a standard. Very few guys are made like Brett Gardner.”
Gardner has been in the Yankees' thoughts even more since March 2024, when his youngest son died at age 14 during a family vacation in Costa Rica. Authorities determined carbon monoxide poisoning was the cause of death.
Judge, the team captain, wanted the Yankees to arrive in style after opening 5-1 on their West Coast trip.
“That's Cap, again, setting the tone,” said Ben Rice, who homered and drove in three runs. “Sent us a text late last night saying: `Hey, suits tomorrow.' So everybody was fired up and we were happy to continue that momentum out on the field.”
Trent Grisham reached leading off with the first of 11 walks by Marlins pitchers and Judge drove a slider into the left-field seats against Eury Pérez for a 2-1 lead.
Judge, who had three RBIs, hit a record 20 first-inning home runs last year, when he finished with 53. Three of Judge’s five hits this season have been home runs.
Coming off his third AL MVP award and first batting title, Judge is off to a slow start with a .185 average.
He gave his teammates a scare in the second inning when he was hit below the right wrist by a 98.9 mph fastball from Pérez, one pitch after Grisham's bases-loaded walk.
“I’ve broken my wrist like that, so that’s always the main concern,” Judge said.
Judge missed 45 games after he was hit by a pitch from Kansas City’s Jakob Junis on July 26, 2018.
“Felt like he was probably OK but I tend to jump up a little quicker when it’s to him," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb
New York Yankees' Aaron Judge (99) hits a two-run home run during the first inning of the Yankees' home-opener baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Friday, April 3, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) walks back to dugout during the fifth inning of a home-opener baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Friday, April 3, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
New York Yankees' Aaron Judge (99) successfully steals second base during the eighth inning of a home-opener baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Friday, April 3, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
New York Yankees outfielders Cody Bellinger (35), Trent Grisham (12) and Aaron Judge (99) embrace each other after wining a home-opener baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Friday, April 3, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
New York Yankees' Aaron Judge (99) celebrates after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning of the Yankees' home-opener baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Friday, April 3, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
