Chris Bassit (AP Photo/Babeto Mathews)
Chris Bassett became the third Mets starting pitcher in the past two days to decline his contract option, making him a free agent, as announced Major League Baseball Players Association on Tuesday.
The 33-year-old right-hander was acquired by the Mets last winter via trade from the Oakland Athletics, where he quickly became the team’s rotation anchor. He led all Mets pitchers with 181.2 innings, going 15-9 with 3.42 ERAs, 167 strikeouts and 1.145 WHIPs.
If he had opted out, Bassit would have made $19 million in 2023 before hitting free agency, but he hinted that it could be the last major multi-year contract of his career.
“Is this valuation worth a one-year valuation of myself compared to a multi-year deal?” Bassit started Chris Rose Rotation Podcast Saturday. “I would say, don’t give it up, it’s too easy.”
This is as good a time for Bassit as it is for anyone. He has been a consistent, productive starter over the past five years, going 44-23 with a 3.29 ERA and 1.142 WHIP since the start of the 2018 season.
But his decision could land the Mets in a lot of trouble. Not only will they try to bring back Jacob deGrom, who on Monday opted out of the final two years of his contract, but Taijuan Walker did the same and Carlos Carrasco is also a free agent.
This leaves the Mets with a solid rotation of Max Schaezer, Tyler Magill, David Peterson and Joey Luchesi at the moment.
