Why bringing back Chris Bassitt makes sense for Toronto Blue Jays

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 believed to have enough interest from other clubs to find such an opportunity.

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.

Re-signing Bassitt wouldn't be a huge move for the Blue Jays, but it's the type of decision that makes sense.

Bassitt has made at least 30 starts in four consecutive seasons now, pitching to a 3.96 ERA with a 4.01 FIP in that time.

Bassitt gave Toronto exactly what it needed in 2025. He finished the season with 170 1/3 innings of work while posting a 3.96 ERA and 4.01 FIP, giving them valuable innings and keeping guys healthy.

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 Jays' Wild Card and ALDS rosters.

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.

The right-hander isn't what he once was, but the stuff is still above-average, and for the right price, it makes too much sense.

And Toronto doesn't need Bassitt to be an ace. It needs him to just be decent, eat innings, and keep games from getting away early.

With his familiarity with the team, ability to get outs at a high level, and eat innings, it's a move that makes too much sense.

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.