Where the pitching market stands after Orioles sign Chris Bassitt

Late on Wednesday, the Baltimore Orioles made a key move to strengthen their starting rotation, adding 36-year-old right-hander Chris Bassitt on a one-year, $18.5 million contract with incentives. Jeff Passan of ESPN had the news first.

"Chris Bassitt’s deal with the Orioles, which is pending physical, includes a $3 million signing bonus and $500,000 in incentives if he starts 27 games. Which he has done each of the last five seasons, during which his 880.1 innings rank eighth among all MLB pitchers," Passan posted on X.

The Orioles finally added a significant piece to their mix who can lead the rotation. Meanwhile, there are still several other arms available in free agency. Here is a look at the pitching market, where things stand and how Bassitt joining the Orioles could affect the market.

How Chris Bassitt signing could affect the pitching market

Over the past several weeks, there have been plenty of starters coming off the board. Framber Valdez, Jose Quintana, Nick Martinez, Miles Mikolas, Justin Verlander, Jordan Montgomery and others have signed short-term deals. Of those starters, Valdez is the only one who signed a multiyear deal, which includes opt-out clauses.

Still available are arms such as Lucas Giolito, Max Scherzer, Zac Gallen, Griffin Canning, Zack Littell and Walker Buehler. While Giolito and Gallen are higher-end starters, the rest are in the mid-tier, including Bassitt.

Bassitt taking a one-year deal could ultimately define what the mid-tier starters can get in free agency. It could also affect Gallen's and Giolito's markets.

At this point in the offseason, pitchers may have to settle for one-year deals, possibly even the top-tier options. Bassitt's salary for 2026 should be a baseline for what somebody like Scherzer could receive.

The other mid-tier options might be a little cheaper than that, but they'll likely have to settle for one-year deals at this point. If that is ultimately also the case with Gallen and Giolito, though, they'll likely receive more than what Bassitt did.

The market is clearly moving now, and it should continue to develop over the next few weeks, with more arms coming off the board as the 2026 season approaches. Some might take longer, potentially even past Opening Day, because the market has moved so slowly, but Bassitt is the latest domino to fall, and more arms should come off the board soon as well.

It will be interesting to see what things look like as Opening Day approaches.