The lowdown on FA SP Chris Bassitt

After performing well for the A’s from 2018-21 and earning his first All-Star selection in that last year, Chris Bassitt was traded in March to the Mets. New York was looking to further bolster a rotation that had already seen the addition of Max Scherzer, and it paid off. While Scherzer, Jacob deGrom and others missed time due to injury, Bassitt was a steady and productive presence, leading the team in starts (30) and innings (181 2/3).

Bassitt took the loss in the Mets’ season-ending defeat to the Padres in Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series, but that shouldn’t put a damper on a solid campaign. After his $19 million mutual option for 2023 was not exercised, the right-hander is a free agent this offseason. He is unlikely to command a long deal given his age, but he figures to be a popular target for teams in search of short-term rotation help.

Here’s what you need to know about Bassitt:

FAST FACTS
Birthdate: Feb. 22, 1989 (Age 34 in 2023)
Primary position: SP
Height/weight: 6-5, 217 lbs.
Bats/throws: Right/right
Place of birth: Toledo, Ohio
School(s): Genoa Area (Ohio) HS; University of Akron
Drafted: 16th round, 2011, by White Sox
MLB debut: Aug. 30, 2014
Qualifying offer: Received one

THE NUMBERS
2022: 15-9, 3.42 ERA (113 ERA+), 167 K, 49 BB, 3.2 WAR* in 181 2/3 IP
Career: 46-34, 3.45 ERA (118 ERA+), 671 K, 228 BB, 13.6 WAR in 737 1/3 IP
*Per Baseball-Reference

STAT TO KNOW
While Bassitt is not always thought of as a top-tier starter, his 124 ERA+ since 2018 ranks tied for 15th -- with Blake Snell and Framber Valdez -- among 75 pitchers who have thrown at least 500 innings over that span. Others with a similar ERA+ across those five seasons include Zack Wheeler, Luis Castillo, Lance Lynn and Aaron Nola.

QUESTION MARK
Bassitt doesn’t bring the sort of power stuff -- or miss bats -- the way that many top pitchers do. That could certainly limit his marketability, at least for some teams. In that aforementioned group of 75 pitchers, Bassitt’s 22.9% K-rate was only tied for 40th, and his 22.4% rate in 2022 placed him in the 46th percentile among all pitchers. Meanwhile, Bassitt was also in just the 30th percentile for whiff rate, 10th percentile for chase rate and 26th percentile for fastball velocity. In other words, he’s more of a finesse pitcher than someone who overpowers hitters.

He’s been a late bloomer
Bassitt, who will turn 34 before next season, is older than many first-time free agents. Drafted after his redshirt junior season at Akron (where he was a closer), he was 22 when he entered pro ball and 25 when he surfaced with the White Sox in 2014. Tommy John surgery he underwent in 2016 then threw a wrench in his progress before he could fully establish himself. Therefore, it wasn’t until 2019 that Bassitt, at age 30, actually logged a full season in the Majors, throwing 144 innings for the A’s.

He overcame a scary injury
Tommy John surgery is a common setback for pitchers, but what happened to Bassitt in August 2021 was something less typical and more frightening. During a start against the White Sox in Chicago, he was hit in the face by a 100.1 mph line drive and crumpled to the mound, before eventually being taken off on a cart. Bassitt went to the hospital, where he received stitches and was diagnosed with a facial fracture. Fortunately he “somewhat dodged a bullet,” as he later put it, avoiding a more serious injury. It speaks to Bassitt’s toughness that he returned to action barely a month after that close call, making a pair of starts before the end of the season.

His arsenal is diverse
As noted, Bassitt doesn’t bring a big-time fastball or wipeout breaking stuff to the table. Instead, he attacks hitters with a variety of different pitches. In 2022, he used five offerings more than 10% of the time: sinker (33.4%), cutter (17.2%), slider (16.3%), curveball (13.9%) and four-seamer (13.1%). He also threw an occasional changeup (6.1%). The sinker yielded a 62.2% ground ball rate in 2022, while Bassitt can generate swings and misses with each of his other four primary pitches.

He embraced pitching in New York
There aren’t many more significant changes in the big leagues than going from Oakland to New York, and that’s what Bassitt experienced in 2022. There's more pressure, more scrutiny, more attention and more boos when things don’t go your way. But he came away from the experience with a positive impression, having succeeded under the bright lights.