Chris Bassitt boasts Blue Jays rotation will be even stronger this season

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DUNEDIN — Did one of the best starting rotations in baseball hit its ceiling to save the Blue Jays 2023 season?

Don’t go there with one of the veterans on the squad, Chris Bassitt.

After getting his first two innings of Grapefruit League work in during Monday’s 8-4 Jays win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at TD Ballpark, Bassitt was in a mood for a bold — and confident — proclamation.

“There’s no doubt (the group will be better),” Bassitt said after allowing one hit on 24 pitches in his debut. “In my mind, I don’t think we’re trying to be the same as last year. I truly would be shocked if we’re not a lot better this year.

“Last year we sat here and I think a lot of you guys questioned if (Jose) Berrios is good. I’m not saying that in a negative way, but obviously he had a bounce-back year last year, but he just went back to being Jose Berrios.

“(Yusei) Kikuchi kind of the same way. I mean if we get (Alek) Manoah right — and all signs point that way — I would say there’s no reason for us not to be a lot better than last year.”

To Bassitt’s point, a year ago the rotation as a whole was unproven. This year, they’re returning as one of the most feared starting groups in baseball, pending the return to form of Manoah.

On a brilliant Monday at their Florida home park, Kikuchi also got his pre-season started with three strikeouts in a pair of scoreless innings. On Tuesday, Manoah takes to a game mound for the first time since Aug. 10 when he gets the ball in Lakeland against the Tigers.

“We’re all healthy. We’re all confident. We’re not trying to fix people,” Bassitt said. “We’re comfortable and confident in each other’s games and what we’re doing. We’re in a great spot and I can’t really say that about last year. That’s why I think we should all be a lot better than last time.”

With Manoah specifically, Bassitt has been impressed with the demeanour of his teammate thus far in camp, a stark change to the mental struggles and occasional lapse in focus that contributed to a twice-demoted disaster in 2023.

“I don’t want to speak for him,” Bassitt said. “I know he was going through a lot of stuff last year. But I would say the biggest thing is he’s not thinking mechanics. He’s just pitching.

“Obviously the hard work that he’s put in, I think he’s a great spot. So many people look at a negative season and getting kicked in the teeth as a bad thing. I think it’s a great thing. I see how strong he is mentally. I don’t think he was that strong last year.

“I think the game has a beautiful way of humbling you and then it has a beautiful way of making you even better as long you take it as a positive and I think he really has.”