Chris Bassitt reunion in Toronto seems unlikely but not unfeasible for Blue Jays

The Blue Jays recent signing of one of the top free agent pitchers in Dylan Cease and KBO MVP Cody Ponce, Toronto's rotation has become rather full.

The 36-year-old Bassitt was an essential part of the club's rebound from worst to first last season and still wants to start, despite some intriguing post-season work out of the bullpen.

He's made at least 30 starts in four consecutive seasons now, pitching to a 3.77 ERA with a 4.01 FIP in that time.

Three of those seasons came with Toronto as part of a three-year, $63MM deal signed prior to the 2023 season.

It was more of the same from Bassitt this past year, as he offered the Blue Jays 170 1/3 innings of work while posting a 3.96 ERA and 4.01 FIP.

He didn't slow down much in the second half, either, despite an injury that limited him in late September and cost him spots on the Blue Jays' Wild Card and ALDS rosters.

While Bassitt has been a middle-of-the-rotation solid starting pitcher for the majority of his MLB career, he showcased a new skillset in the 2025 postseason: the ability to pitch out of the bullpen.

After posting a 3.69 ERA after the All-Star break in the regular season, he went on to move to the bullpen for the ALCS and became one of the club's most important arms throughout the final stages of the playoffs with a 1.04 ERA, 1.52 FIP, and 33.3% strikeout rate across seven appearances.

At the same time, he's beloved within the Toronto clubhouse so if he wanted to return later in the off-season and there was a need, it likely wouldn't take much to start a serious discussion.

If Bassitt doesn't end up returning to Toronto, there's a number of teams that figure to be on the lookout for pitching help this winter, and he should have little trouble securing a rotation job somewhere even if his age seems likely to limit him to one-year offers.