The Baltimore Orioles have tabbed Chris Bassitt to start Sunday’s Grapefruit League matchup against the Boston Red Sox in Fort Myers. Roch Kubatko of MASN reported that the club confirmed Bassitt will face left-hander Ranger Suárez for his unofficial Orioles debut.
This start gives Baltimore a first look at the 37-year-old right-hander it signed to a one-year, $18.5 million contract this offseason. After spending the last three seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, Bassitt joined an Orioles team that explored multiple options in free agency before ultimately turning to the veteran right-hander.
Baltimore was linked to several high-profile starters earlier in the winter, including Framber Valdez, who signed with the Detroit Tigers, and Suárez, who landed with Boston. Bassitt became the Orioles’ addition to bolster a starting pitching staff that also added Shane Baz via trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. Baz dazzled in his start on Friday.
Across 11 major league seasons with four organizations, including extended runs with the Oakland Athletics and Blue Jays, Bassitt has compiled an 83-65 record with a 3.64 ERA and 1,191 strikeouts. His time in Toronto was particularly steady; over 96 appearances, he went 37-31 with a 3.89 ERA and 520 strikeouts.
He was a huge piece to Toronto's 2025 AL Pennant, appearing in seven games with an ERA just over 1.00. While his velocity profile does not mirror some of the power arms that define today’s MLB, his durability and ability to navigate lineups multiple times have made him a valuable starter this late into his career.
That track record traces back to a 16th-round selection by the Chicago White Sox in 2011 out of the University of Akron. Now entering his age-37 season, Bassitt arrives in Baltimore after logging more than 1,200 career innings, a workload that places him among the more experienced starters the organization has had in recent years.
Sunday’s outing against Boston will likely span no more than a couple innings, but it does represent a key step for the Orioles as the team evaluates their rotation entering March. Facing Suárez, who was one of the arms Baltimore could not land this winter, adds an element of intrigue to the matchup even with it being an exhibition.
If Bassitt delivers the type of efficient innings he has for much of his career, he projects to slot comfortably into Baltimore’s starting mix as the regular season approaches. The team needs it, as the American League East only got more challenging this winter.