The Toronto Blue Jays have stayed busy early in the offseason with two notable free-agent signings, and it doesn’t appear the baseball club is done making moves.
Following the seven-year, $210 million deal with starter Dylan Cease and the reported three-year, $30 million contract with starter Cody Ponce, the Blue Jays are willing to listen on a potential trade for José Berríos, according to The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon, who cited league sources.
Berríos, 31, is coming off a disappointing season in Toronto, which ended with the right-hander being placed on the injured list for the first time in his major-league career. After being moved to the bullpen in late September, elbow inflammation kept Berríos off postseason rosters, and he didn’t pitch for the Blue Jays down the stretch or in the World Series.
Berríos appeared in 31 games (30 starts), finishing with a 4.16 ERA, his highest since 2022. He struck out 138 batters across 166 innings while posting his highest walk rate (3.0 BB/9) since 2020, when he was a member of the Minnesota Twins.
The Blue Jays entered the offseason prioritizing pitching with the departures of starters Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer, who remain free agents. Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber, Eric Lauer, Cease, Ponce and Berríos are now in the fold, and Toronto’s rotation is suddenly a significant area of strength.
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Bo Bichette, who expectedly declined Toronto’s one-year, $22 million qualifying offer, also remains a free agent. On the position player side, the Blue Jays have also been linked to free-agent outfielder Kyle Tucker, who could command a deal in the $350 million to $400 million range.
Berríos will earn $18.7 million in 2026 but can opt out of his current contract at the end of next season. As it stands, Gausman and Bieber would also hit the open market next winter.
The Blue Jays acquired Berríos from the Twins in July 2021 for starter Simeon Woods-Richardson and infielder Austin Martin. He then agreed to a seven-year, $131 million extension with the Blue Jays that offseason.
The Cease signing, which was made official on Tuesday, and the reported deal with Ponce bring Toronto’s projected CBT payroll to $274.7 million for 2026, according to Spotrac.
The CBT threshold next year is set at $244 million, and, because the Blue Jays were also a luxury-tax team in 2025, they will pay a 30 per cent surcharge on all overages. Additionally, they’ll pay another 12 per cent on all overages above $264 million, and if they surpass the second luxury tax threshold of $284 million, they’ll pay another 42.5 per cent on those overages and have their highest pick in the draft moved back 10 places.
