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Chris Bassitt and the Mets avoided an arbitration hearing by agreeing to a one-year, $8.65 million contract, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports.
More importantly, that contract comes with a mutual option for the 2023 season worth $19 million. There is a $150,000 opt-out attached to that option, bringing the total guaranteed money up to $8.8 million. Both Bassitt and the Mets must agree to pick up the $19 million option in order for it to go into effect in 2023, but that is highly unlikely to happen.
The $19 million is essentially equivalent to a qualifying offer. Remember, the qualifying offer system will be no more this upcoming offseason if MLB and the MLB Players Association agree to an international draft system by July 25. Bassitt’s 2023 option feels like a way for the Mets to still offer him something equivalent to what a qualifying offer would have been (if that process does indeed go away).
Bassitt originally asked for $9 million in arbitration, and the Mets filed at $8.3 million. He was the only Met to potentially head to arbitration after the spring, but the two sides avoided that with the new contract.
Earlier this month, Bassitt said he’d be open to an extension with the Mets, citing Buck Showalter, Billy Eppler and Max Scherzer as reasons he could see himself in New York long term. “I am very surprised at how much I like it here, to be honest,” Bassitt quipped.
With $8.8 million on the books for this season, the Mets would be nudging right against the fourth CBT number of $290 million, according to Spotrac. They’d be around just $750,000 short of the next tax threshold.
Bassitt has been a gem for the Mets since they traded for him from the Oakland A’s. The 33-year-old has a 2.77 ERA (3.79 FIP) over 48 ⅔ innings. He’s allowed one run or less in five of his eight starts. He is also the team’s healthiest and best starter right now with Jacob deGrom (stress reaction in his scapula), Scherzer (oblique strain) and Tylor Megill (bicep tendinitis) all on the injured list.
His next scheduled start will likely come Tuesday against the San Francisco Giants, a day after when his arbitration hearing was originally scheduled.
