Bassitt avoids – Chris Bassitt came to Oriole Park at Camden Yards with the Toronto Blue Jays in town and a complicated mix of loyalty and focus. The Orioles right-hander said he deliberately avoided looking at former teammates and coaches after a past mistake—letting friendli
BALTIMORE — When George Springer opened Thursday’s game by stepping into the batter’s box and sticking out his tongue toward the mound, Baltimore Orioles right-hander Chris Bassitt didn’t even notice.
He said the moment could have turned into something camera-ready between former teammates. Instead, he kept his eyes down and made sure he didn’t make eye contact with any Toronto Blue Jays players or coaches.
“The mistake, at least in the past, that I’ve made is that I’ve tried to make it buddy-buddy and friendly and have fun,” Bassitt told Sportsnet on Friday. “That turns the competition metre off. So, yesterday, I didn’t look at anybody.
“If I look at them,” he added, “My love for them will trump the competition side. I was just trying to block out all the emotions of that.”
This four-game series at Oriole Park at Camden Yards gave Bassitt a chance to reconnect in a way that doesn’t involve talking like the game is on pause. With the Blue Jays in town this week, the right-hander can’t help but be reminded of what he built during his tenure in Toronto.
“When I signed there three years ago, I didn’t expect to have the relationship I had with all those people,” Bassitt said. “Didn’t expect to have some of my best friends in the world on that team. Didn’t expect, obviously, to make the run that we did.”
The feelings, he said, were mutual. Jeff Hoffman pointed to the closeness and the challenge of replacing someone whose impact went beyond the statistics.
“He was a huge reason why we were as close as we were last year and why it was such a talking point having to replace a guy like that,” Hoffman said. “What he does kind of speaks for itself.”
Ernie Clement added that the change is still noticeable.
“We definitely miss him,” Clement said. “He was one of our main guys last year. So, it’s a noticeable difference without him.”
Bassitt’s numbers from last season explain why the conversations around him carried so much weight. He posted a 3.96 ERA over 170.1 innings for the Blue Jays. He made 31 starts, then dealt with an injury leading up to the playoffs. When he returned. it came as a reliever: in the American League Championship Series and the World Series. Bassitt logged 8.2 innings and allowed just one run.
There’s a personal element to this visit, too—Bassitt’s relationship with the organization that built him into a postseason chess piece. When asked if he had conversations with the Blue Jays about a return in the off-season, he declined to get into specifics.
“They checked in on me,” Bassitt said. “I mean. obviously. we talked and. out of respect to that front office. I’m not going to get into how anything went down or whatever. It is what it is. So, if they want to talk about it, they can talk about it, but I’m definitely not. Just it is what it is, but I have no animosity. I love those guys. I’m forever grateful for (Blue Jays president) Mark (Shapiro) and (general manager) Ross (Atkins).”.
If Bassitt wasn’t headed back to Toronto, it still wasn’t a decision made in a vacuum. He wanted a place where his family would be happy, and his former Mets connection became a key reference point. Pete Alonso—his teammate with New York—signed in Baltimore in December. and Bassitt spoke with Alonso at the same time he had conversations with veteran Orioles right-hander Zach Eflin.
“He liked what he heard and ultimately signed a one-year, $18.5-million deal with the club,” the story of his move is anchored by that decision.
Baltimore enters this series after a last-place finish in the AL East. and the Orioles have spent the winter trying to change their trajectory. President and general manager Mike Elias made bold additions aimed at bolstering a talented young core that has underachieved. Alonso was signed to a five-year, $155-million deal. Reliever Ryan Helsley inked a two-year deal. Outfielder Taylor Ward and right-hander Shane Baz were acquired in trades.
In the middle of all that roster movement, Bassitt described a difference in the room—what’s already been established, and what has to be built.
“Everyone works really hard together, everyone pulls for each other, everyone plays for each other,” Bassitt said. “It’s just a very different group in the aspect of it’s a very old group over there (in Toronto). And it’s a very young group here. So, it’s more so teaching the right way to do things, when over there, that’s already been established. It has kind of been beaten into a lot of those guys over there. so they’re a couple steps ahead in that aspect. But, I mean, when it comes to talent, the talent in the room here is off the chart.”.
Next week, the Orioles will return the trip and visit Toronto. Bassitt was asked what fans at Rogers Centre will make of his presence.
“Obviously, always hoping for good,” he said. “But the reality is my love for the fan base and my love for that city and my love of that team, there’s nothing anyone can do or say to change that.”
Chris Bassitt Baltimore Orioles Toronto Blue Jays George Springer Oriole Park at Camden Yards AL East 3.96 ERA 170.1 innings Jeff Hoffman Ernie Clement Mark Shapiro Ross Atkins Mike Elias Ryan Helsley Pete Alonso Taylor Ward Shane Baz Zach Eflin Pete Alonso contract Ryan Helsley deal