Sources: Orioles, Chris Bassitt reach 1-year, $18.5M contract - ESPN

Right-hander Chris Bassitt and the Baltimore Orioles are in agreement on a one-year, $18.5 million contract, sources told ESPN on Wednesday, adding a reliable veteran with significant postseason experience to their overhauled rotation.

Bassitt, who turns 37 on Feb. 22, went 11-9 for the Toronto Blue Jays last season, posting a 3.96 ERA with 166 strikeouts in 170⅓ innings. He came out of the bullpen during the American League Championship Series and World Series, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out seven over 8⅔ innings as Toronto fell just short of its first championship since 1993.

The deal, which is pending a physical, includes a $3 million signing bonus and $500,000 in incentives if Bassitt starts 27 games, sources told ESPN. He has done that in each of the past five seasons, during which his 880⅓ innings rank eighth among all MLB pitchers.

One of the last remaining established veterans on the free agent market, Bassitt heads to an Orioles team that has guaranteed more than $200 million in free agent signings. In addition to adding slugger Pete Alonso, closer Ryan Helsley and re-signing right-hander Zach Eflin, the Orioles also traded for right-hander Shane Baz and left fielder Taylor Ward.

In Bassitt, the Orioles landed a starter whose dependability is among his greatest hallmarks. With four consecutive seasons of 30-plus starts and a strikeout rate that has barely budged year to year, sitting between 22.2% and 22.6% each season, Bassitt's consistency as an innings-eater comes from an eight-pitch mix that makes up for a fastball that sat in the low 90s last year.

Baltimore prioritized starting pitching this winter, with right-hander Kyle Bradish potentially limited in his first full season coming