Chris Bassitt is entering the final year of his contract with the Blue Jays and aims to have a strong season, hoping it will earn him an extension with Toronto.

The Blue Jays pitcher recently opened up about his struggles last season, explaining why his 2024 performance fell short. He emphasized his focus on overcoming those issues and significantly lowering his ERA this year.

Chris Bassitt acknowledges that he experimented with too many different approaches last season, particularly in the second half, and now wants to simplify his game.

“I got away from that,” Bassitt admitted. “I was trying to figure out lefties and do too much in the second half of last year. We were tinkering with things, and it was a weird time for all of us. It was about figuring things out, and a lot of it just didn’t work. I think me and [pitching coach] Pete [Walker] have a really good plan now. There’s still some tinkering, but it’s much more structured rather than just throwing stuff at the wall and hoping it sticks.”

Blue Jays manager John Schneider echoed similar thoughts, noting that Bassitt often found himself in deep counts last season. The team is focused on helping him avoid that moving forward.

“We always talk about the number of pitches he has, and I think it’s about honing in on three or four instead of five or six,” Schneider said. “That, and locating, being efficient. Last year, he got into a lot of deep counts with foul balls and balls. He can stay on the attack, and that’s what we’re looking for.”

Despite turning 35 this year, Bassitt has shown he still has plenty left in the tank. Last season was the first time since 2016 that he posted an ERA above 4.00, but he remains one of Toronto’s most reliable arms.

If both Bassitt and Kevin Gausman can return to peak form in 2025, the Blue Jays could boast one of the strongest starting rotations in the American League.