Chris Bassitt is with Craig Albernaz now, but the former Blue Jays starter says the bird switch at home has taken some explaining.
That was the lighter moment in Monday's story around Bassitt's first season in Baltimore. After leaving Toronto in free agency, Bassitt told reporters his kids were confused by the move from one bird team to another.
It is a funny detail, but it also says plenty about how recent this split still feels. Bassitt spent 3 seasons with the Blue Jays before signing a 1-year, $18.5 million deal with the Orioles in February.
That alone made the move stand out in Toronto. Bassitt did not just leave town. He stayed in the AL East, which means Blue Jays fans are going to see him in the other dugout and on the mound against them.
The timing makes it sting a little more. Toronto's first series against Baltimore is set for May 28 to May 31 at Camden Yards, then the Orioles come to Toronto from June 5 to June 7.
Bassitt is also not some distant ex-Blue Jay. He was one of the club's steadier rotation arms over his Toronto run, and his departure came after an offseason that squeezed him out of the Jays' pitching picture.
Bassitt's joke lands because the split is real
That is why the kids story hits. On the surface, it is just a clean baseball-family line about changing uniforms. Underneath it, there is a real reminder that Bassitt's Blue Jays chapter ended fast once the offseason reshaped Toronto's rotation.
Baltimore's side of this is easy to understand. The Orioles added a veteran starter with durability on a short-term deal, then dropped him right onto their active roster for 2026.
The manager piece matters, too. Albernaz is in his first year running Baltimore, so having a pitcher like Bassitt around gives the Orioles a veteran arm who has seen plenty and can stabilize a staff.
For Toronto, the emotion around Bassitt never fully disappeared. After signing with Baltimore, he publicly thanked Blue Jays fans and pointed back to the family memories that came with his 3 years in the city.
So no, this is not just a cute quote about mascots and hats. It is a small window into how strange free agency can look inside a baseball household when one chapter closes and another starts.
And once Bassitt faces Toronto for the first time, the joke will give way to the part that matters most. The Blue Jays will be staring at a familiar veteran in Orioles colors, and the bird confusion at home will not feel all that funny in the batter's box.
Will Chris Bassitt beat the Blue Jays in his first start against Toronto?
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