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By Jackson Roberts
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Toronto Blue Jays got exactly what they paid for from veteran right-handed starting pitcher Chris Bassitt over the last three years.
Though he was an All-Star once in his career, Bassitt's best trait has always been his durability, and over the term of his three-year, $63 million deal, Bassitt made at least 31 starts and threw at least 170 1/3 innings in each season. He also led the American League with 16 wins in 2023, finishing 10th in that year's Cy Young Award race.
After being shifted to a bullpen role in the playoffs for Toronto, however, it became clear that a new contract for Bassitt with the Blue Jays was unlikely. Then, Toronto proceeded to sign free agent starters Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce in November.
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Entering his age-37 season, Bassitt still has quality innings left to throw, and the possibility has arisen that he could throw them for one of the Blue Jays' fellow American League contenders this year.
According to Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic, Bassitt and the Detroit Tigers have discussed a potential deal for the upcoming season. Another option for Detroit, per the insiders, is Boston Red Sox veteran free agent Lucas Giolito.
"The Detroit Tigers continue to explore the starting-pitching market, talking to free-agent right-handers Lucas Giolito and Chris Bassitt, among others, according to a person briefed on their conversations," wrote Rosenthal and Sammon. "The potential for an addition might be less likely if they lose their arbitration case with left-hander Tarik Skubal and end up paying him $32 million instead of $19 million."
Skubal's arbitration case, in the context of the two-time Cy Young Award winner heading to free agency next year, is dominating storylines around the Tigers, and certainly affecting the club's plan to remain in the playoff hunt for the next several seasons.
While the Blue Jays haven't frequently been mentioned as a prospective trade suitor for Skubal this winter, they may keep a close eye on his arbitration case, if a win for Detroit drastically increases the odds of them signing such a valuable former Blue Jay to a contract.
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