In any given start for Blue Jays, Bassitt has a lot to offer

TORONTO -- When Ross Stripling was with the Blue Jays, he’d often joke that he “threw the kitchen sink." Chris Bassitt, who takes his place in the rotation for 2023 and beyond, chucks the sink and starts emptying cupboards.

There are pots and pans and coffee mugs bouncing off the walls as Bassitt unloads one of Major League Baseball’s deepest arsenals of pitches, which has been at the heart of his success over the past five seasons.

The Blue Jays weren’t just looking at Bassitt’s immediate talent when they handed him a three-year, $63 million deal that will take him through his age-36 season. They were looking at sustainability, both in terms of how consistent he’s been in recent years and how he can carry that towards his late 30s. Bassitt simply keeps hitters guessing, and when they do make contact, he’s got a knack for keeping it soft.

“The arsenal is unique in that it is so dynamic,” said general manager Ross Atkins. “I think our catchers are going to have a good time getting up to speed with game calling and being prepared for the depth of his arsenal. There aren’t too many pitchers in the game who can say, concretely, that they have seven weapons, if not more.”

Turn to Statcast, and you’ll see six official pitches listed for Bassitt: a sinker, cutter, slider, curveball, four-seam fastball and changeup.

What makes this group truly unique, though, is that he’s used five of those pitches at least 10% of the time, meaning the opposing hitter has to respect all of them in each at-bat. This is what makes Bassitt one of baseball’s best at limiting hard contact, ranking in the 95th percentile when it came to average exit velocity last season.

The sinker is still the star of the show, though, a pitch that Bassitt has thrown roughly 35% of the time the past two seasons. That pitch produces a tremendous amount of ground-ball contact, which is where Toronto’s defense comes in. Yes, having the elite glove of Kevin Kiermaier in center will help, but this is more about Matt Chapman at third base. Bassitt and Chapman know each other well from their Oakland days, and Chapman was part of this recruiting process, so Bassitt feels completely comfortable throwing his sinker for strikes in Toronto.

“It’s a great combination to have me throwing a lot of sinker balls with a Platinum Glove at third base,” Bassitt said. “How great he is defensively, I expect him to win a Gold Glove every year. How competitive he is and how much he wants to be on the field and help everybody, it would be hard to turn down the opportunity to play with him again.”

Bassitt made a point of saying he’s a smart pitcher who knows how to pitch to a ballpark, and in the American League East, that means ground-ball contact. Bo Bichette’s defense at shortstop is moving in a better direction now, while Whit Merrifield and Santiago Espinal can handle second with Chapman at third and Gold Glove Award winner Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first. It’s not baseball’s best, but it’s a good group, and one that Bassitt fits particularly well.

The veteran right-hander loves the rotation he’s joining, too.

“That’s one of the biggest reasons I came,” Bassitt said. “I want to be a part of a group for an extended period of time where we can really get to know each other, help each other be the best we can, then hopefully do something very special in the end. Learning each other, what makes each other tick and truly pushing each other to be the best version of ourselves off and on the field is a big thing for me.”

Atkins views this as a clear top 10 rotation in baseball now, adding that the Blue Jays consider themselves in the top five. That’s always an injury or breakout away from tilting in either direction, and the No. 5 spot is still a major question mark, but the Blue Jays have to love where they’re at entering the holidays.

Bassitt isn’t flashy, but there’s a sense of calm that comes with adding his reliable production to a rotation. It might look different each time he’s out there, with one of his six pitches taking a turn as the star of the show depending on the day, but that’s exactly why Bassitt feels like Toronto’s safest bet of the young offseason.