Bass has posted a 7:1 K:BB through six Grapefruit League innings this spring.
The veteran right-hander split 2022 between the Marlins and Blue Jays and had a sub-2.00 ERA at each stop, wrapping up his campaign with a 1.54 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and career highs in wins (four) and holds (23). Bass figured to be one of the primary high-leverage options in the Toronto bullpen this season, and his spring performance suggests he's ready for Opening Day.
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Blue Jays' Anthony Bass: Toronto picking up option
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The Blue Jays will exercise Bass' $3 million club option for 2023 on Tuesday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
The veteran right-hander was acquired from the Marlins at the trade deadline and will stick with the Blue Jays in 2023. Bass finished the year with a 1.54 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 73:20 K:BB across 70.1 innings, and he should fill a high-leverage role again for Toronto next year.
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Blue Jays' Anthony Bass: Packaged to Toronto in deal
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The Blue Jays acquired Bass and right-hander Zach Pop from the Marlins on Tuesday in exchange for infielder Jordan Groshans, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Bass arrives in Toronto in the midst of an exceptional 20-appearance run in which he submitted an 0.46 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 21:4 K:BB in 19.2 innings while gathering six holds. Though he won't be a threat to Jordan Romano's role as the Blue Jays' closer, Bass should provide an upgrade over the team's existing setup options. He'll also be more than a rental piece for the Blue Jays, as his contract contains an affordable $3 million team option for 2023.
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Marlins' Anthony Bass: Blows save, picks up win
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Bass (2-3) blew the save, but picked up the win anyway in Sunday's 6-5 victory over Pittsburgh, allowing two runs on two hits while striking out three and walking none over one inning.
Bass entered the game in the ninth with a 4-2 lead, but allowed a two-run single to Yoshi Tsutsugo that tied the game. Thankfully for Bass, his offense took the lead again in the 10th inning, which gave him the blown save but also the win. Bass has seen three save chances this season, all of which have resulted in blown saves, but he continues to be a reliable arm in lower leverage situations (15 holds). He will take a 1.51 ERA into his next appearance.
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Marlins' Anthony Bass: Notches 14th hold
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Bass struck out two in a perfect seventh inning Friday to record his 14th hold of the season in a win over the Mets.
The right-hander reeled off his 11th straight scoreless appearance in impressive fashion. Bass might be Miami's most reliable reliever at the moment, posting a 0.54 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 13:2 K:BB through 16.2 innings since the beginning of June, but he hasn't had a save since 2020 and manager Don Mattingly seems more comfortable using the 34-year-old in a setup role.
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Marlins' Anthony Bass: Collects seventh hold
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Bass struck out two over 1.2 perfect innings Sunday to record his seventh hold of the season in a loss to the Padres.
Marlins manager Don Mattingly elected to use current closer Anthony Bender in the sixth inning to protect a 2-0 lead, and after he got the job done, Bass entered the game to shepherd the lead into the eighth. Unfortunately for Miami, Cole Sulser wound up blowing the save in the ninth. Bass is among the MLB leaders in holds so far, sitting two back of Devin Williams, and he's been scored upon in only two of his 14 appearances to begin the season, leaving the 34-year-old journeyman with a 1.23 ERA, 0.68 WHIP and 16:3 K:BB through 14.2 innings.
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Marlins' Anthony Bass: Could see early save chances
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Bass is an option to close for the Marlins at the beginning of the season with Dylan Floro delayed by a hip issue, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
Floro was expected to be the ninth-inning man for Miami to begin the season, but he has yet to appear in a Grapefruit League game while dealing with hip soreness. Of the remaining options for saves, Bass has the most experience, recording 12 saves for the Mariners and Blue Jays between 2019 and 2020, but Anthony Bender is viewed as having the best stuff, while Richard Bleier could also see work against left-handers at the end of games. "I think we're going to be more of a mix-and-match club," manager Don Mattingly said Friday. "We're not sitting here with Mariano [Rivera] or Kenley [Jansen] or these dudes that you say, 'This is my ninth-inning guy, he gets the ball every time.' That might develop like that, but right now, I don't think we're there." While Mattingly may talk in terms of a committee, his track record suggests he much prefers having one set closer, so if Bass or Bender have a quick start to the season in the role, they may well end up keeping it for awhile.
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Marlins' Anthony Bass: Charged with loss Sunday
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Bass (1-6) allowed two runs (one earned) on one hit and struck out the only batter he retired as he took the loss versus the Yankees on Sunday.
The right-hander allowed two of the three batters he faced in the eighth inning to get on base, and Richard Bleier proceeded to allow both inherited runners to score. The loss was Bass's first since July 9, when he worked as an opener. The 33-year-old hadn't given up a run in 6.1 innings since that appearance prior to Sunday. He has a 3.79 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 38:17 K:BB with 12 holds and four blown saves in 47 appearances, but he could be in the mix for saves after Yimi Garcia was traded to Houston.
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Marlins' Anthony Bass: Takes loss as opener
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Bass (1-5) took the loss Friday, giving up one run on one hit while striking out two in the first inning as the Marlins were downed 5-0 by Atlanta.
Making his first career appearance as an opener, the right-hander served up a solo shot to Freddie Freeman, and a slumbering Miami offense never climbed out of that early hole. Bass continues to struggle with consistency, getting tagged for runs in four of his last 10 games, and he sports a 4.28 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 31:15 K:BB through 33.2 innings on the year as he falls further out of the high-leverage mix for the Marlins.
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Marlins' Anthony Bass: Starting bullpen game
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Bass will start Friday's game versus Atlanta, Craig Mish of SportsGrid.com reports.
The right-hander will start Friday's contest as manager Don Mattingly employs a bullpen game after starter Zach Thompson (illness) was scratched. Bass won't provide much length given he hasn't pitched more than one inning during any appearance this season. He has a 4.13 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 29:15 K:BB across 32.2 frames.
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Marlins' Anthony Bass: Stuck with loss Sunday
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Bass (1-4) gave up a run on one hit and three walks in two-thirds of an inning in Sunday's extra-inning loss to Atlanta.
The right-hander had a rather bizarre appearance in the 10th inning. He intentionally walked two of the first three batters, getting initial runner Austin Riley out on a throw for the second out. Bass then loaded the bases with one more intentional walk to Kevan Smith to get to the pitcher's spot in the order. Atlanta sent pitcher Max Fried up as a pinch hitter, and he delivered a walkoff single to stick Bass with the loss. To make matters worse, the run he allowed counted as an earned run and lifted his ERA to 4.40 with a 1.27 WHIP through 30.2 innings this year. The right-hander has 10 holds and four blown saves, but he should continue to see high-leverage work despite some inconsistency.
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Marlins' Anthony Bass: Handed extra-inning loss Sunday
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Bass (1-3) allowed an unearned run on a hit and a walk with two strikeouts in one inning during Sunday's extra-inning loss to Milwaukee.
Bass intentionally walked Daniel Vogelbach to pitch to Tyrone Taylor, who promptly hit a go-ahead RBI single. Miami's offense was unable to bail out Bass in the bottom of the 10th. The right-hander carries a 5.40 ERA, 1.63 WHIP and 9:5 K:BB across 11.2 innings this season. He began the year as the closer, but with three blown saves early on, Bass yielded ninth-inning duties to Yimi Garcia, who pitched a scoreless inning with three strikeouts in a tied game Sunday.
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Marlins' Anthony Bass: Picks up first hold
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Bass gave up a hit and a walk in a scoreless eighth inning to record his first hold of the season in Thursday's win over the Diamondbacks.
It wasn't pretty, as Bass threw only eight of 15 pitches for strikes, but he was able to get the job done. The veteran righty has a 1.08 ERA over 8.1 innings since spitting the bit on the closer role, but his 5:3 K:BB over that stretch suggests he's still not a great fit for high-leverage work.
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Marlins' Anthony Bass: Tosses scoreless outing, gets win
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Bass (1-2) was credited with the win Friday against the Giants after tossing a scoreless inning, striking out one.
Bass was called upon to pitch the eighth inning and only needed eight pitches to get the job done -- he tossed seven of those deliveries for strikes, as he was in complete command of the zone. The right-hander lost the closer job a few days ago following a woeful start to the season, but he seems to be turning things around and has now pitched four straight scoreless outings since being removed from the closer role.
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Marlins' Anthony Bass: No longer Miami's closer
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Bass seems to have lost the closer job in Miami, Craig Mish of SportsGrid.com reports.
Manager Don Mattingly said Bass has some things to work on and was non committal at best regarding the ninth inning, per Mish. Bass is 0-for-2 on save chances and has given up six earned runs in 2.1 innings through three appearances. Yimi Garcia and Dylan Floro are the top options for saves with Bass out of the role.
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Marlins' Anthony Bass: Still has manager's support
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Bass received a vote of confidence from Marlins manager Don Mattingly after blowing his second save of the season Thursday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports. "I definitely think it's too early to make a judgment on that [changing closers]," Mattingly said after Thursday's loss. "Anthony's got good stuff. He's going to be fine."
While the right-hander's second loss of the season came in controversial fashion after Michael Conforto allowed himself to be hit by a pitch in the strike zone to force in the winning run, Bass had already blown the save by serving up a Jeff McNeil solo homer, not to mention loading the bases to set the stage for Conforto's walkoff HBP. Despite Mattingly's patience, Bass doesn't have the kind of track record that would give him plenty of leeway, and he'll need to turn things around quickly to hang onto ninth-inning duties.
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Marlins' Anthony Bass: Another blown save
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Bass (0-2) allowed two earned runs on three hits and a walk while also hitting a batter to blow the save and take the loss Thursday against the Mets.
Bass entered the game in the bottom of the ninth inning and was tasked with protecting a 2-1 lead. He quickly squandered that, surrendering a leadoff home run to Jeff McNeil. After recording one out, Bass allowed the next three batters to reach base before he hit Michael Conforto with a pitch to force in the winning run. Though there was controversy surrounding Conforto's plate appearance -- he appeared to lean into the strike zone to ensure he was hit by the ball -- Bass pitched poorly for the second time in three appearances this season. While a change at closer may not occur yet, Yimi Garcia or Dylan Floro could start to see save chances if Bass continues to struggle.
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Marlins' Anthony Bass: Blows first save chance
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Bass (0-1) blew his first save of the season and took the loss Friday as the Marlins fell 6-4 to the Rays, coughing up four runs on four hits over one inning. He struck out one.
It was a brutal start to his tenure as Miami's closer. Called on to protect a 4-2 lead in the ninth inning, Bass instead gave up singles to Brandon Lowe and Yandy Diaz before the light-hitting Joey Wendle blasted a pitch into the second deck in right field, with Tampa tacking on one more run afterward for good measure. Bass has little track record as a closer, coming into the season with only 15 career saves, so he might not have much leash in the role. What job security he does have may come from the fact that the Marlins' bullpen lacks any other clear alternatives.
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Marlins' Anthony Bass: Solid start to spring
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Bass has yet to give up an earned run this spring over five appearances (five innings) while posting a 4:2 K:BB.
The right-hander headed into the spring in the mix for the closer role in Miami, and while he hasn't been particularly dominant, he's been much more effective than his main competition, Yimi Garcia. Bass has 12 saves over the last two seasons while seeing some ninth-inning duty for the Mariners and Jays, but the track record of Marlins manager Don Mattingly suggests he prefers having one closer over a committee, so the 33-year-old could eclipse that number quickly in 2021.
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Marlins' Anthony Bass: Heading to Miami
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Bass signed a two-year deal with the Marlins on Friday that includes a team option for 2023, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.
The right-hander ended up finishing 2020 as Toronto's closer, posting a 3.51 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 21:9 K:BB over 25.2 innings while recording seven saves and three holds. Miami doesn't have a clear closer with spring training on the horizon, so Bass could be in the mix for the job with his new team.
