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The Mets swept the Phillies on Thursday as they defeated Taijuan Walker in the third game of the three-game set. On Friday, the Mets faced another member of their 2022 team as Chris Bassitt and the Blue Jays traveled to Citi Field to start a three-game series. For the Mets, Justin Verlander took the mound hoping to rebound from a poor performance in Colorado.

The game, originally scheduled for a 7:10 p.m. ET start, was delayed due to rain and officially started 90 minutes later at 8:40 p.m. ET. Overall, Verlander pitched well but Bassitt pitched better as he shut down the Mets offense, leading the Blue Jays to a 3-0 win.

On just the second pitch of the game, George Springer took his former teammate Verlander deep to center field to give the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead, as Verlander’s struggles in the first inning this year continued. He retired the next two batters before walking Brandon Belt, and was then able to strike out Matt Chapman to put an end to the inning.

Bassitt retired the first two Met hitters before Jeff McNeil took the first pitch of his at-bat into right-center field for a double. Alonso wasn’t able to take advantage of the runner in scoring position as he popped out in foul territory to give Bassitt a clean first inning.

After a 1-2-3 second inning, Verlander got the first two outs of the third inning before allowing a single off the bat of Bo Bichette. That brought up the powerful Vladimir Guerrero Jr. but he struck out on three pitches to keep the Jays’ lead at one.

Leading off the bottom of the third, Canha worked a full count after falling behind 0-2, and ripped a single through the left side of the infield to continue his recent hot stretch. He then stole second base for his third stolen base of the year. Francisco Álvarez then hit a grounder to the right side of the infield that hit off the glove of Guerrero and Álvarez was able to get to first safely, putting runners on the corners with nobody out.

The top of the Mets order, however, put together three brutal at-bats in a row as Brandon Nimmo popped up on the infield on the first pitch he saw, Francisco Lindor struck out looking, and Jeff McNeil popped up on the infield on the first pitch he saw to allow Bassitt to escape the inning without giving up a run.

The Mets once again put together three straight poor at-bats in the bottom of the fourth inning, putting two more balls in play on the first pitch just as they had in the previous inning. This time, Pete Alonso popped up on the infield, Brett Baty struck out, and Starling Marte grounded out, allowing Bassitt to get through the inning on just six pitches.

Bichette led off the sixth inning for the Blue Jays with a comebacker off of Verlander and he reached first base safely after Verlander couldn’t recover the ball cleanly. Guerrero then walked to put runners on first and second base with no outs. Verlander then struck out Brandon Belt and Matt Chapman back-to-back before Whit Merrifield hit an infield single to load the bases.

With Daulton Varsho at the plate, Verlander attacked him with fastballs before putting him away with a slider, striking out three in the inning to avoid disaster. That would be all for him for the night as he tallied a whopping 117 pitches through six innings, giving up just the one run on five hits while walking three and striking out eight.

With the top of the order coming up in the bottom of the sixth and needing runs, Nimmo hit a deep fly ball to left-center field that flew all the way to the warning track but was tracked down by Kevin Kiermaier for the first out. After Lindor struck out in a full count, McNeil also got to a full count but flew out to center field to end the inning. Since the Mets had first-and-third with no outs in the third inning, Bassitt had now retired twelve straight.

Dominic Leone came on in relief for the Mets to start the seventh inning and he needed just nine pitches to set the Blue Jays’ hitters down in order. In the bottom of the inning, Bassitt extended his streak to retire 14 straight as he retired Alonso and Baty, but Marte broke that streak by hitting a ball the other way for a two-out opposite-field single. Marte then stole second base to put the tying run in scoring position with Mark Vientos up at the plate, but a groundball out ended the inning with the Mets still down 1-0.

Drew Smith was called on to pitch the eighth inning against the heart of the Toronto lineup. After a Bichette groundout, Guerrero singled into center field but he was erased on the next pitch after Belt grounded into a double play to end the inning. Bassitt stayed on for the bottom of the eighth and retired Canha and Álvarez before Tim Mayza was called on to relieve him. With a two-strike count and two outs in the inning, Nimmo was called for a pitch-clock violation to give Mayza an easy out to end the inning.

After pitching a scoreless inning the previous night against the Phillies, Jeff Brigham was asked to pitch for a second straight game as he came on in the ninth inning. After giving up a one-out single, Brigham gave up a two-run homer to Varsho to give the Blue Jays some insurance and a 3-0 lead. The next two batters were retired in order, putting the Mets offense back on the field for the bottom of the ninth.

Jordan Romano relieved Mayza to start the ninth inning, looking to get the save with a three-run lead. Lindor led off the inning by hitting a ball to deep left field, but it died on the warning track for the first out. McNeil popped up on the infield to bring the Mets to their final out, but Alonso kept the game alive by singling through the infield. However, Baty struck out on three pitches to put the game to bed, giving the Mets their eighth shutout of the year.

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Player Spotlight

Justin Verlander started the night off by giving up a leadoff homer, but that was his lone blemish as he threw six innings and kept the Mets in the game. He threw 117 pitches and got out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning, getting a massive strikeout to keep the Mets’ deficit at just one. Unfortunately, the Mets couldn’t score a single run in the game putting the loss on Verlander, but he was clearly the best player on the field tonight for the Mets.

On Deck

The Mets continue the series with the Blue Jays on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. ET. Tylor Megill, who has failed to go past four innings in each of his last two starts, will look to turn things around as he starts for the Mets. Meanwhile, José Berríos is in the middle of a fantastic stretch of starts for Toronto and will look to keep it going as he gets the start tomorrow for the Jays. The game will be broadcast on SNY.

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Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Bassitt and the Toronto Blue Jays are in agreement on a three-year, $63 million contract says ESPN insider Jeff Passan.

Bassitt was traded to the Mets last offseason with one year remaining on his deal. The Mets sent pitching prospects J.T. Ginn and Adam Oller to the Oakland Athletics in exchange.

Bassitt was the Mets’ most consistent and reliable starter last season. Bassitt made 30 starts, going 15-9 with a 3.42 ERA in a career-high 181.2 innings pitched.

Bassitt was given the qualifying offer by the Mets that would have brought him back for one year for approximately $19 million. Now he’ll earn a little more each season and take a contract through his age 37 season. The Mets will gain a draft pick in return for Bassitt’s departure.

Bassitt joins a Toronto rotation that includes Alek Manoah, Kevin Gausman, and Jose Berrios.

The Mets have overhauled their starting rotation this winter bringing in three new starters of Justin Verlander, Kodai Senga, and Jose Quintana, to fill the spots left by Bassitt, Jacob deGrom, and Taijuan Walker.

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Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Mets fans!

A day after it was reported the Giants were pursuing righty Chris Bassitt, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the team is in fact not going after the 33-year-old. Bassitt pitched for San Francisco’s Bay Area rivals, the A’s, for six years before getting shipped to the Mets this past spring. Bassitt threw a career-high 181 2/3 innings this year, turning in a 3.42 ERA/3.66 FIP with a 1.145 WHIP and 167 strikeouts.

Speaking of Giants pitching, late Sunday night Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported that they’re signing Sean Manaea for two years and $25 million, likely confirming that they’re completely out on Bassitt.

Latest MLB News

The Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO have re-signed former big leaguers Eric Jokisch and Addison Russell. Jokisch has spent the last four seasons with the Heroes and pitched very well, turning in a 2.72 ERA and a 1.124 WHIP with 536 strikeouts in 701 2/3 innings. Russell played for the Heroes in 2020 and posted an underwhelming .653 OPS, but he tore up the Mexican League to the tune of a .319/.412/.599 batting line with 25 homers in 400 plate appearances.

In other news out of the KBO, the LG Twins have walked away from their contract with outfielder Abraham Almonte. The Twins had an agreement with Almonte on a one-year deal but an issue arose with his physical.

Frank Schwindel is signing with the reigning NPB champion Orix Buffaloes. After a very impressive rookie season that netted him a sixth-place finish in the Rookie of the Year balloting, Schwinder struggled mightily with the Cubs in 2022. He hit just .229/.227/.358 with just eight homers and had an alarming 47.4-percent ground-ball rate.

Latest on MMO

James Villani projects how the Mets’ rotation will look after signing Kodai Senga.

Andrew Steele-Davis explains why the Mets need to add power to their lineup. He also examines some cost-effective power options for the team.

Brian Wright looks back at Curtis Granderson’s deal with the Mets, which ranks as the fifth-best signing in team history.

On This Date in Mets History

1969: The Mets acquire veteran starter Ray Sadecki and outfielder Dave Marshall from the Giants in exchange for infielder Bob Heise and outfielder Jim Gosger. Sadecki won a World Series with the Cardinals in 1964 and had a 3.52 ERA in a little over three seasons in San Francisco.

1986: In a bit of a blockbuster, the Mets send young outfielder Kevin Mitchell along with prospects Shawn Abner, Stan Jefferson, Kevin Armstrong, and Kevin Brown to the Padres in exchange for outfielder Kevin McReynolds, lefty reliever Gene Walter, and minor league infielder Adam Ging. Mitchell scored the game-tying run in the 10th of game 6 of the World Series that year. McReynolds meanwhile is coming off a career year in which he posted an .862 OPS with a career-high 26 homers and 96 RBIs.

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Photo by Ed Delany of MMO

Free agent right-hander Chris Bassitt is attracting interest from the San Francisco Giants, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Bassitt enjoyed a solid first year in Queens but became a free agent after rejecting the Mets’ one-year qualifying offer. ESPN’s Jeff Passan has previously reported that the team would like to bring the veteran back, a sentiment echoed by Mike Puma of The New York Post. However, according to Puma, Bassitt is seeking a contract longer than three years in free agency while the Mets aren’t keen on going beyond that term.

In terms of this latest report, the Giants would make sense given their reported desire to bolster their rotation this winter. They have been linked to a number of the most notable free agent starters, including the likes of Carlos Rodón, Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, and Andrew Heaney. The latter has since signed with the Texas Rangers.

It is worth noting that the Giants have been in on some of the biggest prizes available this winter but, so far, they have come up empty every single time. They were all in on superstar slugger Aaron Judge before he decided to return to the New York Yankees, while Mike Puma of The Post reported that they also made an offer to outfielder Brandon Nimmo before he signed a contract with the Mets.

Bassitt is one of the best starters left on the open market. The righty posted a 3.42 ERA over 181 2/3 innings in 2022 for the Mets, securing a career-high in strikeouts with 167 and finishing with a 15-9 record. Bassitt also had a 6.6% walk rate and a career-best 48.8% grounder rate. He found plenty of success with his 72 m.p.h curveball, with hitters slashing just .156/.181/.195 against it and no home runs.

Perhaps more importantly, Bassitt proved he was durable last year by becoming the only Mets pitcher to start 30 games and record over 160 innings. He recorded 19 quality starts and could be relied upon in a good chunk of his starts to go deep in games and deliver the goods.

Bassitt’s track record extends beyond 2022 too. He became an All-Star for the first time in 2021 after posting a 3.15 ERA with a 12-4 record for the Oakland A’s in 2021, and he has been a solid and dependable starter for the duration of his career. He’s also a respected figure in the clubhouse and a player who could be a solid No. 2 or No. 3 starter for most teams in MLB.

With multiple reports suggesting that the Mets are still all in on signing Senga in order to beef up their rotation, it remains to be seen whether owner Steve Cohen is willing to spend the money to bring Bassitt back, especially if he wants a contract that exceeds four years. With the Mets having already dished out deals to Justin Verlander and José Quintana, Bassitt may have to take his talents elsewhere and the Giants would be a good fit given their need for starting pitching.

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Chris Bassitt

Player Data: 33 (2/22/1989), B/T: R/R
Primary Stats: 30 GS, 19 QS, 15-9, 181 2/3 IP, 3.42 ERA, 167 SO, 49 BB, 1.145 WHIP
Advanced Stats: 3.66 FIP, 113 ERA+, 3.2 bWAR, 7.9 H/9, 8.3 SO/9, 49.1 GB%, 85.3 EV
Salary: $8.8 million

Grade: B

2022 Review

Chris Bassitt was the final piece of Billy Eppler’s incredible 2021-2022 offseason. He found success in his last two years with Oakland, making his first all-star appearance and finishing top-ten in the Cy Young ballot. Most importantly, Bassitt had a reputation for being durable and joined a Mets starting rotation that had only two pitchers that finished with 100-plus innings in 2021.

Bassitt’s durability wound up playing an important role in the 2022 season. The Mets faced a multitude of injuries to their starting rotation throughout the 2022 season, which included Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom. Bassitt, however, avoided the IL the entire season and was a bulldog for the team. He was the only Mets pitcher to start 30 games and record over 160 innings. Bassitt was effective as well, recording 19 quality starts and a 3.42 ERA in 181 2/3 innings.

What made Bassitt’s numbers all the more impressive lies in his pitching style. He resembles the era of pitchers from decades ago, who attacked the strike zone and got outs from weak contact. In 2022, opposing batters had an average exit velocity of 85.3 mph against Bassitt, which was the lowest in his career and ranked him in the 95th percentile in MLB.

The low exit velocity against Bassitt was due to his repertoire of pitches. In 2022, he threw six different pitches along with multiple versions of certain pitches. The best pitch that Bassitt featured, however, was his 72 mph curveball. Batters slashed .156/.181/.195 against Bassitt’s curveball and did not hit a home run against it. Shockingly, Bassitt recorded great numbers with his curveball despite being in the 29th percentile in curveball spin.

While Bassitt was more than reliable for the majority of the 2022 season, he unceremoniously fell apart in his last two starts. During his last start in the regular season, with the NL East on the line, Bassitt allowed four earned runs in 2 2/3 innings to the Braves. Then, in the decisive game three of the NL Wildcard Series, he allowed three earned runs to the Padres in four innings, as the Mets were eliminated from the playoffs.

Outside of his numbers, Bassitt was a phenomenal addition to the clubhouse. He quickly built a strong relationship with deGrom and Scherzer, who would discuss the outcome of their starts immediately after it was finished. Bassitt also defended his team, who was plunked the most in MLB history in 2022, by bringing attention to the slick baseballs.

2023 Outlook

Bassitt declined his $19 million mutual option to return to the Mets and received a $150,000 buyout. He will be 34 to start the 2023 season.

Due to the various holes that the Mets have in their rotation entering 2023, Bassitt has been linked to his former club. According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Mets are “hopeful for a return” of the former Athletic. Passan also reported that Bassitt is likely to sign with an organization during the Winter Meetings. Along with the Mets, Bassitt has been linked to the Phillies, Giants, Orioles, and Rangers.

Bassitt is likely to receive a substantially sized contract this off-season. Since 2019, Bassitt has started 93 games, pitched to a 3.31 ERA, and recorded a 123 ERA+. According to Sportrac.com, Bassitt’s contract value is three years, $63.12 million.

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Jun 8, 2022; San Diego, California, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Chris Bassitt (40) throws a pitch against the San Diego Padres during the first inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets are “hoping for a return” of Chris Bassitt next season, according to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Passan reports that “behind-the-scenes action” could lead to Bassitt signing during baseball’s Winter Meetings that begin next week.

Bassitt, who rejected the Mets’ one-year qualifying offer this offseason, lead the team with 181.1 IP  in 2022. He finished the the year with a 3.42 ERA and a 113 ERA+ to go along with 167 strikeouts after coming over in a trade with the Athletics. Bassitt provided stability to the Mets’ rotation when Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom were dealing with injuries and figures to be an attractive name on the free agent market after deGrom, Justin Verlander, Carlos Rodón, and Kodai Senga.

Passan also reports that there is a more robust market for Taijuan Walker that could lead to him coming off the board early, partially due to the fact that there is no qualifying offer attached to his free agency.

The Mets rotation currently includes Scherzer, Carlos Carrasco and a lot of question marks. David Peterson, Tylor Megill, Elieser Hernández, and Joey Lucchesi could all be possibilities for the back end of the rotation, but the team figures to be active in free agency to sign at least two starters.

DeGrom is still the Mets’ top priority, according to Passan, but the team has also reportedly checked in on Verlander, Rodón,  Senga, and Jameson Taillon. Passan also reports that Rodón and deGrom are both candidates to sign within the next week.

Other options on the starting pitching market include Ross Stripling, Andrew Heaney, Zach Eflin, José Quintana, Sean Manaea, Corey Kluber, Johnny Cueto, Michael Lorenzen, Michael Wacha, and Kyle Gibson.

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Chris Bassitt 

Age: 33 (22/2/1989)
B/T: R/R

2022 Traditional Stats: 30 GS, 15-9 W-L, 181.2 IP, 3.42 ERA, 1.145 WHIP, 167 SO, 49 BB
2022 Advanced Stats: 113 ERA+, 3.66 FIP, 22.4% SO%, 6.6% BB%, 3.2 WAR

Rundown

Having created a two-headed monster at the top of their rotation in Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer, the Mets decided to get even more aggressive last offseason by trading for starter Chris Bassitt from the Oakland A’s in exchange for J.T. Ginn and Adam Oller. In doing so, they gave themselves a lethal 1-2-3 punch at the top of the rotation and a top three that could really set the tone in any best-of series in the postseason.

And, while deGrom and Scherzer both struggled to stay healthy in 2022, Bassitt proved to be a solid and dependable No. 3 starter for manager Buck Showalter. Bassitt pitched a career-high 181 2/3 innings last year, posting a 3.42 ERA to go along with a 3.2 WAR, a 15-9 W-L record and a 1.145 WHIP. He totalled 167 strikeouts – another career-high – had 8.27 strikeouts per nine innings, struckout at least 22 percent of the batters he faced,  and walked just over six percent of batters he faced in total during the season.

Furthermore, the righty held batters to a .233 average against, recorded a BABIP of .282, and left roughly 77 percent of runners he inherited on base. In all, Bassitt carved out a very solid first year in Queens and his highlights include going 3-1 in April with a 2.25 ERA in 24 innings, going 4-0 in August with a 1.62 ERA in 33 1/3 innings, and striking out eight batters or more during nine starts throughout the season. The 33-year-old also struck out at least 20 or more batters every month, including striking out 35 in June.

There were lowlights, of course, with Bassitt posting a 4.70 ERA in the month of June, giving up seven earned runs in an ugly loss to the San Diego Padres in June, allowing eight earned runs and three homers to the San Francisco Giants in May, and giving up four earned runs in a tough and crucial loss to the Atlanta Braves in October. However, whenever Bassitt had a setback, he rebounded pretty quickly and his slumps never lasted long. He was a model of consistency for the Mets and provided everything and more you could want from a No. 3 starter.

Prior to landing at Citi Field, the eight-year veteran was drafted by the Chicago White Sox but he made his name with the A’s, pitching to a 3.56 ERA in 18 starts in 2015 before earning votes for the American League Cy Young Award in 2020 with a stellar 2.29 ERA to go along with 55 strikeouts and just 17 walks in 63 innings in the COVID-19 shortened season. He also struckout five and gave up just one earned run against the White Sox in the American League Wild Card series that year.

Bassitt earned his first trip to the All-Star Game in 2021 after pitching to a 3.15 ERA with a 12-4 record, to go along with 159 strikeouts and 39 walks. With Oakland pulling the trigger on a major rebuild, Bassitt’s fine 2021 season made him ideal trade bait and the Mets were able to add another quality starter to their rotation.

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Contract

Bassitt and the Mets avoided arbitration in 2022 by agreeing to a one-year, $8.8 million contract with a $19 million mutual option for the 2023 season. Bassitt officially turned down that option earlier this offseason in order to become a free agent, and it remains to be seen whether a return to Citi Field is on the cards.

According to Spotrac.com, Bassitt is projected to land a three-year, $63 million contract with an average annual salary of $21 million per year. Among pitchers with 300 innings pitched since the beginning of the 2019 season, Bassitt ranks 28th with a 123 ERA+. That is pretty good value for a pitcher who can either be a solid No. 2 option or a very, very good middle of the rotation guy. With pitching always at a premium, there will be teams willing to give Bassitt a three-year deal worth a total of $50 million or more.

Recommendation

Starting pitching is one of the biggest priorities for the Mets this offseason given that both Bassitt and deGrom are now free agents, not to mention Taijuan Walker who also opted to test the open market. With currently only Scherzer and Carlos Carrasco nailed down as dead certs in the rotation for the 2023 season, there is a lot of work to be done by general manager Billy Eppler and the rest of the front office.

With other needs to be addressed too, there’s only so much money that can be allocated to starting pitching and, if deGrom returns or the Mets sign Justin Verlander as a replacement, then it remains to be seen how much money the front office is willing to spend on building out the rest of the rotation.

Of course, owner Steve Cohen has deep pockets and the Mets know what they are getting with Bassitt; a dependable arm that can go long in games and get the job done on a consistent basis. The veteran delivered time and time again in 2022 and was able to stay healthy and answer the bell when called upon. With that in mind, Eppler should make it a priority to bring back Bassitt as a high-end No. 3 starter and maybe he can get Bassitt to accept a slight discount in order to spend the next few years competing for the World Series in a big market.

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Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

The MLBPA released the decisions made by the 14 players that were tendered qualifying offers prior to the 2023 season. As expected, Chris Bassitt, Jacob deGrom, and Brandon Nimmo all rejected the offer.

The qualifying offer is a one-year deal that is set at a determined price every year based on the average of the top 125 salaries in MLB. The QO in 2023 was set at $19.65 million. If a player rejects the QO and signs with another team, the organization that tendered the QO receives a draft-pick compensation from the other organization.

The Mets will receive a draft pick for each of Bassitt, Nimmo and deGrom if they sign with other teams.

Only Joc Pederson and Martín Pérez this offseason accepted their qualifying offers. Since the QO has been implemented, only 11 players out of 110 have accepted.

Meanwhile, Tyler Anderson, Xander Bogaerts, Willson Contreras,  Nathan Eovaldi, Aaron Judge,  Anthony Rizzo, Carlos Rodón, Dansby Swanson, and Trea Turner all declined their qualifying offers.

Anderson actually signed a three-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels just before the qualifying offer deadline.

Below are the decisions each player made and statistics from their 2022 season.

Accepted

Joc Pederson, Giants 

Pederson was impressive in his first year with the Giants. He clubbed 23 home runs in 134 games and recorded a 144 OPS+.

Martín Pérez, Rangers

Pérez made his first all-star appearance last year with the Rangers. He recorded a 2.89 ERA in 196 1/3 innings for the Rangers and cut his walk percentage down from 3.7% in 2021 to 1.3% in 2022.

Declined

Tyler Anderson, Dodgers

Anderson was one of the surprise stars in the Dodgers rotation in 2021. He recorded a 2.57 ERA in 178 2/3 innings and made his first all-star appearance. Anderson signed a three-year, $40 million contract with the Angels on November 15.

Chris Bassitt, Mets

Bassitt was as advertised in 2022 after being traded over to New York. He recorded a 3.42 ERA in 181 2/3 innings and made 30 starts for a Mets rotation that had a multitude of injuries in 2022.

Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox

Bogaerts quietly had one of the best seasons of the 2022 MLB season. He records a 5.8 bWAR, 38 doubles, and a 131 OPS+ for the last-place Red Sox. As of now, it is rumored that his previous connection with Dave Dombroski could bring him to Philadelphia.

Willson Contreras, Cubs

Contreras had one of the best offensive seasons for a catcher last year in a meager Cubs lineup. He clubbed 22 home runs and recorded an .815 OPS during his fourth All-Star season.

Jacob deGrom, Mets

DeGrom enters the free-agent market coming off a misleading half-season. While he recorded a 3.08 ERA in 11 starts, the former Cy Young struck out 14.3 batters per nine and recorded a 2.13 FIP. He’s still one of the best pitchers–if not the best–in the game.

Nathan Eovaldi, Red Sox

Eovladi is coming off an injury-riddled season. He recorded a 3.87 ERA in 20 starts and saw his SO/9 drop to 8.5. Eovaldi is 33 for the 2023 season and has only made 30 or more starts twice in his career (2014, 2021).

Aaron Judge, Yankees

Judge had debatably the best offensive season of this century. He broke Roger Maris‘s AL home run record and slashed .311/.425/.686/1.111. The MVP finalist also led the AL in home runs, RBI, walks, runs, OBP, slugging, OPS, OPS+, total bases, WAR, and ISO.

Brandon Nimmo, Mets

Nimmo hits the free-agent market as the best outfielder not named Judge. He recorded a 5.1 WAR and led the NL with seven triples. Nimmo also turned himself into a plus defender in CF and was in the 91st percentile with six outs above average.

Anthony Rizzo, Yankees

Rizzo had his best offensive season since 2016. He tied his career high with 32 home runs in 2022 and recorded a .817 OPS. While Rizzo was nominated for a gold glove in 2022, he defense was not stellar, as he finished with a -1.1 dWAR.

Rizzo had been rumored to be the Astros number one target for free agent first basemen, but he is re-signing with the Yankees on a multi-year deal.

Carlos Rodón, SF Giants

Rodón finally put together a healthy season and dominated the NL in 2022. He recorded a 2.88 ERA and led the NL with 12 SO/9. Rodón also put his injuries behind him in 2022 and reached 30 starts for the first time in his career.

Dansby Swanson, Braves

Swanson hit the second most home runs amongst NL shortstops with 25 and drove in 96 runs. He also led all shortstops with 21 OAA and won his first gold glove in 2022.

Trea Turner, Dodgers

Turner had another stellar season in 2022 with the Dodgers. The 29-year-old clubbed 22 home runs, stole 22 bases, recorded a 121 OPS+, and won the NL Silver Slugger at shortstop.

The twelve players who denied their qualifying offers have now become free agents for the offseason. The class is loaded with shortstop talent for a second consecutive season and features big-name starting pitching. The most notable, however, are deGrom and Judge. While they had different seasons, the two of them are generational talents.

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Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Jacob deGrom, Chris Bassitt and Brandon Nimmo were three of the 14 free agents who were extended the qualifying offer by their teams. The 2023 qualifying offer is set at $19.65 million.

If players accept it, they’ll play out the one-year deal and then become free agents again in the following offseason.

The full list of players who received a qualifying offer are:

• Jacob deGrom
• Chris Bassitt
• Brandon Nimmo
• Aaron Judge
• Trea Turner
• Xander Bogaerts
• Dansby Swanson
• Willson Contreras
• Carlos Rodón (the White Sox didn’t extend one last offseason)
• Tyler Anderson
• Martin Perez
• Anthony Rizzo
• Nathan Eovaldi
• Joc Pederson

Taijuan Walker was not extended a QO, as Jon Heyman reported earlier in the day.

Of the non-Mets, Judge, Turner, Bogaerts, Swanson, Contreras, Rodón and likely Rizzo will all decline their offers. The cases of Anderson, Perez, Eovaldi and Pederson are more interesting. Players have 10 days to accept or decline the offer.

If players decline the offer and then sign elsewhere, the player’s original team gets draft pick compensation in the 2023 draft. (The Mets would get a fourth-round pick if one of their guys sign elsewhere.)

On the flip side, a team that signs a player who was extended the qualifying offer will forfeit varying levels of picks in the draft based on if the team exceeded the luxury tax or not. The Mets, of course, did and would forfeit their second- and fifth-round pick along with $1 million in international bonus pool money if they signed someone like Judge or Turner.

The qualifying offer was set to not exist anymore with the new collective bargaining agreement, however, MLB and the MLB Players Association couldn’t agree to an international draft, so the qualifying offer remains for the 2022-2026 CBA.

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Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The Major League Baseball Players Association announced 11 players have been added to the free agent pool including Chris Bassitt from the Mets. The Mets and Bassitt had a mutual option at $19 million for the 2023 season that Chris has declined and he will receive a $150K buyout.

Bassitt, 33, was acquired by the Mets earlier this year in March from the Oakland A’s for right-hander pitching prospects Adam Oller and J.T. Ginn. Bassitt pitched to a 3.42 ERA in a career-high 181 2/3 innings for the Mets this season. The veteran righty struck out 167 batters, allowed only 49 walks, and gave up `59 hits. He also reached the 30-start plateau for the first time in his career and had a career-best 48.8% ground ball rate.

However, Bassitt did struggle in his two starts of the season going a combined 6 2/3 innings with seven runs allowed against the Braves on October 2 and then in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series vs the Padres.

The Mets will almost certainly give Bassitt the $19.6 million qualifying offer that he will likely decline in favor of a deal longer than one year.

This is the Mets’ updated free-agent list:

• Chris Bassitt
• Jacob deGrom
• Taijuan Walker
• Tommy Hunter
• Seth Lugo
• Trevor May
• Tyler Naquin
• Brandon Nimmo
• Adam Ottavino
• Joely Rodríguez
• Trevor Williams

The Mets now have 11 free agents, the most in Major League Baseball ahead of the Yankees and Dodgers at 10 each. The Mets were able to keep that number from getting to 12 by re-signing star closer Edwin Díaz to a five-year, $102 million deal before he hit the open market.

The New York Post’s expert contract predictions–that had Díaz at five years, $105 million– believe that Bassitt will get around three-years, $66 million. Bassitt will be hitting the free agent market for the first time with a career 3.45 ERA over 136 big league games between the White Sox, A’s, and Mets. The 2.7 fWAR he posted this season is the second-highest of his career behind the 3.3 fWAR he put up during the 2021 season in Oakland.

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