SARASOTA, Fla. — Chris Bassitt spent about eight minutes answering questions Saturday and uttered more than 1,000 words.
The last four were the most illuminating.
“I’m not over it.”
Bassitt, the veteran starting pitcher the Orioles signed Friday to bolster their rotation, isn’t sure that he’ll ever come to peace with what happened to his team last season. The Toronto Blue Jays, one of the Orioles’ foes in the American League East, were two outs — and then two inches — away from winning the World Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Instead, they lost in heartbreaking fashion, and behind Bassitt’s eyes was true pain at that fact — but also a desire to get back there.
“I think the only way I can possibly get over it is to win one,” Bassitt said. “It’s for sure unfinished business.”
Bassitt, an 11-year veteran, believes that Baltimore is the place to do that.
“Obviously, one of the biggest reasons, No. 1 reason, is a chance to win,” he said when asked why he signed with the Orioles. “Not just win a couple of games, but win a World Series. And I think this team has the ability to do that.”
Bassitt expressed a similar sentiment to Zach Eflin, a friend and now rotationmate, shortly after he signed.
“Let’s go win a title,” Bassitt texted Eflin.
Of course, every player wants to win a World Series, whether or not they believe it’s possible. And every free agent acquisition is going to say that’s his main goal. The $18.5 million from owner David Rubenstein certainly made Bassitt’s decision easier.
However, that view means more coming from Bassitt, especially considering his signing capped off an active Orioles offseason. Baltimore was among the top spenders in free agency this offseason (mostly because of the $155 million Pete Alonso contract) in addition to acquiring four major leaguers via trade.
There’s no way to know how the offseason would have played out had the Orioles chosen not to sign Alonso to the second-largest contract in franchise history. But it’s difficult to imagine Bassitt would’ve seen Baltimore as a place capable of winning a title without the Alonso deal happening first.
Newly signed Orioles pitcher Chris Bassitt believes the Orioles can win the World Series. Baltimore's lineup has always been one of the best, he said, and he's happy to "be on the good side of that" after three seasons in the AL East with the Blue Jays
: Matt Weyrich,… pic.twitter.com/VXklmADnpo
— The Baltimore Sun (@baltimoresun) February 14, 2026
Orioles manager Craig Albernaz, whose hire signaled a change in leadership and whose presence helped recruit Alonso, said a pitcher like Bassitt can help bring “a sense of calmness” to a clubhouse.
“Chris brings a lot to this club,” Albernaz said. “I think, obviously, the veteran leadership that he brings. He’s battle-tested. He’s pitched in some really big games, you know, postseason, World Series last year.”
The first-year skipper said it’s “awesome” that Bassitt viewed Baltimore as a place he could win a championship. What’s more important, though, is that Bassitt is someone who understands the process it takes to be a champion.
While it might seem as if the Orioles are a parsec away from a World Series — and they are — the same could have been said 12 months ago about the Blue Jays. Bassitt’s presence in Baltimore is just the latest similarity between the state of the Orioles now and where Toronto found itself entering last season.
The Blue Jays were an established contender with an exciting young core and back-to-back playoff appearances in 2022 and 2023. However, both postseasons ended unceremoniously to extend one of the longest playoff losing streaks in MLB history. Those failures bled into the 2024 season, and a combination of injuries and underperformance — especially with the young core — doomed that campaign, resulting in only 74 wins.
Then the Blue Jays achieved what they did in 2025.
The story is quite similar to the Orioles‘.
Baltimore’s hitting development became the envy of the sport as it produced great young slugger after great young slugger, resulting in consecutive playoff trips in 2023 and 2024. But they were swept out both times. The 2025 campaign was a disaster, ending with only 75 wins. Almost everyone got hurt, underperformed, or got hurt and then underperformed.
But that Blue Jays team still had the core components of a contender, and Bassitt believes the Orioles have the same.
“The biggest thing, obviously, is just the talent in the room,” Bassitt said when asked what makes a World Series-caliber ballclub. “You have to have the talent in the room, which this team checks that box, and then you have to be tougher than any other team. You have to, on and off the field, you have to do things right and then you have to push each other. You have to look out for each other.”
Repeating what the Blue Jays did is a Herculean task. But Bassitt believes it’s possible. And who’s to tell him it’s not after what he experienced with Toronto last year?
Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Calvin Meyer at [email protected], 410-332-6200 and x.com/JCalvinMeyer.