Chris Bassitt and Mets finally agree on 2022

DENVER — Chris Bassitt has finally finalized his 2022 contract with an option for next season.

The right-hander avoided arbitration with the Mets and agreed to an $8.65 million deal for this year, according to The Post’s Jon Heyman. The deal includes a reciprocal option for next season worth $19 million with a $150,000 buyout. The buyout will bring the total value of his contract to $8.8 million through 2022.

The Mets acquired 33-year-old Oakland native Bassitt in March for JT Ginn and Adam Oller. The deal brought another high-end arm into a rotation that already had Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer.

During spring training, the Mets couldn’t agree on a contract for this year. An arbitration hearing would have taken place on Monday.

“My whole attitude is that I care about baseball, I don’t care about my contract,” Bassitt said in March. “That’s why I pay my agent. My agent has to argue with the front office and that’s it.”

Bassitt has excelled across eight starts, averaging a 2.77 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. His presence has become more relevant with deGrom and Scherzer both on the injured list.

Starling Marte returned to the Mets after three days on the bereavement list following the death of his grandmother. Marte was 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a memorable homer in the Mets’ win in the opener before going 1-for-4 in Saturday’s Night Cap loss.

“It was a strong relationship,” Marte said. “After my mother died, she was the one who raised me, she was the one who gave me the education and pretty much the character I have today.”

Marte said returning to the team helped his psyche.

“It’s a difficult situation because it’s one of those things that will stick in my mind for a very long time,” said Marte. “But being around the team is kind of a distraction in a way, but … things happen in life and we’re just going to try to go with it.”

Jake Reed was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to give the Mets extra bullpen protection. Also, Adonis Medina was added as the 27th player for the double header. Gosuke Katoh was optioned, and Scherzer was officially placed on the 15-day injured list with an oblique strain.