All-Star pitcher Chris Bassett expressed his gratitude to his former team, the Toronto Blue Jays, after agreeing to a one-year contract with the Baltimore Orioles. ESPN’s MLB insider Jeff Passan reported Wednesday that the deal is worth $18.5 million.

Buster joined the Blue Jays in December 2022, signing a three-year contract worth $63 million. He has been outstanding in his first two seasons in Toronto.

The 36-year-old All-Star also performed well as a relief pitcher in the 2025 postseason.

After deciding to join the Orioles, Bassett wrote a farewell letter to the Blue Jays on The X on Thursday. The post also included a photo of Bassett and his family.

“Toronto and all of Canada…my family and I chose to come here three years ago and I am so grateful,” Bassett wrote. “From having our youngest son there to going to the World Series and everything in between. It was filled with so much love and friendship that my family will cherish for the rest of our lives.”

“We gave you everything we had. You gave us more. Thank you for everything,” he concluded.

The deal includes a $3 million signing bonus, according to Passan. In addition, if he starts 27 games, he will receive a bonus of $500,000. Since Bassett has accomplished the feat over the past five MLB seasons, the incentive seems a sure bet.

Orioles experts react to Chris Bassett moving to Baltimore

Ryan Ripken Jr. believes the Orioles prioritized stability and rotation depth over chasing a star ace when they signed Chris Bassitt. Ripken is a former minor leaguer and current baseball analyst

The analyst shared his thoughts on the Chris Bassett signing via his website YouTube channel Wednesday. Ripken believes the Orioles selected Bassett over a younger option, such as Zach Gallen and Lucas Giolito For many reasons.

“18.5 million a year is a reasonable price,” he said. “On the other hand, he’s had an ERA below four in three of the last four seasons. He’s thrown at least 170 innings in the last four years. So, he’s getting out there. He’s been efficient. He’s been efficient.”

“He’s got a lot of pitches,” he added. “I can get into his arsenal later, but he throws eight pitches: fastball, slider, cleanup ball, different variations of a changeup. You name it, it feels like he throws it.”

The Orioles’ rotation next season includes Sean Baz, Zach Eflin, Kyle Braddish, Trevor Rogers and Dean Kramer. Bassett’s arrival certainly adds depth. However, it remains to be seen whether this team is good enough to make a deep run in the playoffs.