🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
After the Toronto Blue Jays signed superstar first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a 14-year contract extension worth $500 million, everything seemed to be trending upward in Toronto. Morale was high and folks knew their beloved first baseman was going to be in a Blue Jays uniform the rest of his career.
Things change quickly, though, and Toronto sits at 15-16 just over 30 games into the season and it's questionable as to whether they will be able to compete with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees for a division championship. That is why MLB Network's Greg Amsinger has listed starting pitcher Chris Bassitt as one of the nine best trade chips this season.
Bassitt is in the final year of his contract, which definitely makes him a prime trade candidate if Toronto is out of contention when the deadline rolls around. He is having a solid year, another important piece to the puzzle of him being shipped out of Toronto.
He has a 2-2 record with a 2.62 ERA and 39 strikeouts across six starts and 34 1/3 innings pitched. He's allowed just 10 runs on the season, but eight of those 10 have come in his last two starts, in which he allowed four to both the Yankees and Houston Astros.
Bassitt's first season with the Blue Jays was spectacular, as he went 16-8 with a 3.60 ERA and finished 10th in Cy Young voting. Last season didn't go the same at all, as he went 10-14 with a 4.16 ERA and finished the year with a -0.1 WAR.
If he is indeed floated on the trade market, there will be plenty of suitors. The San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs are three that instantly come to mind.
It is unlikely the 36-year-old would net a huge prospect haul, but the Blue Jays would certainly be able to get one or two young, high-upside prospects in return. If Toronto finds itself out of contention when the calendar hits July, Bassitt is almost certain to be on the move and playing elsewhere for the remainder of the season
More MLB: Scuffling Red Sox Star 'Almost Screaming' To Be Shipped Out In Blockbuster Trade
About the writer
Andrew Wright is a Newsweek contributor based in Lancaster, South Carolina. His focus is MLB content. Andrew has been with ... Read more