Bounce Back of Blue Jay's Veteran Pitcher Has Been Story of Their Season So Far

The Toronto Blue Jays have gotten Cy Young quality performances from their veteran workhorse.

Mar 2, 2024; Dunedin, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Chris Bassit (40) throws a pitch in the first inning of the spring training game against the Atlanta Braves at TD Ballpark. | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

The Toronto Blue Jays are off to a tremendous start at 8-6 and leading the American League East coming off a series victory over the Boston Red Sox ahead of another clash starting with the Baltimore Orioles this weekend.

While the start has been a pleasant surprise, getting hot out of the gate and sustaining it are two very different things for a ball club that won just 74 games last season.

However, a huge part of the reason why the 2024 campaign was not successful was because they didn't get the best out of a number of their key players.

The first name that comes to mind is Bo Bichette, who appears to be back on track following a complete mess of a season last year. However, it's in the pitching staff where the Blue Jays have gotten the greatest boost in performance with numerous guys elevating their play.

But perhaps no one more so than veteran right-hander Chris Bassitt.

He arrived to Toronto prior to the 2023 season on a lucrative three-year deal coming off two very strong seasons both for the Oakland Athletics and New York Mets.

In the first year of the contract, Bassitt was solid with a 16-8 record and an ERA of 3.60, responsible for a WAR of 2.7 in an 89-win season where the Blue Jays made the playoffs.

Last year, while just about everything went wrong for Toronto, he has a 10-14 record and his ERA climbed to 4.16. His WHIP also skyrocketed from 1.175 to 1.462.

The extremely dependable Bassitt made 64 starts over those first two seasons and is as reliable as they come to stay on the field, making his performance this year all the more important for the overall outlook of the rotation for the Blue Jays.

Thus far, through three starts, the 36-year-old has lived up to the billing by dominating opposing hitters.

With a 0.98 ERA and WHIP of 1.091 without giving up a home run through 18.1 innings, Bassitt has already posted an American League-leading 1.1 WAR.

Expecting him to deliver performances of this quality for an entire season is likely not realistic, however, it's going to take players like Bassitt elevating their own personal peaks in order for this team to accomplish what it seems capable of just two weeks into the year.

In the final season of his contract, Bassitt looks like everything Toronto hoped he would be and more.

If he can keep it up, the rest of the league had better look out.