Jose Berrios might have pitched his last game in a Blue Jays uniform. Toronto is open to trading the veteran right-hander after loading up on pitching depth, though his contract and recent struggles complicate any potential deal.
Why Toronto Wants to Move Berrios
Toronto’s willingness to shop Berrios comes after a busy offseason reshaping their rotation. The team signed Dylan Cease and brought back KBO pitcher Cody Ponce on a three-year, $30 million deal. Add Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, and breakout rookie Trey Yesavage to the mix, and suddenly there’s a numbers problem.
Berrios didn’t help his case in 2025. He posted a 9-5 record with a 4.17 ERA across 166 innings before landing on the injured list in September with right elbow inflammation. It was the first time he’d hit the IL in his 10-year career. Toronto even bumped him to the bullpen briefly before shutting him down for good.
The underlying numbers tell a concerning story. His fastball velocity dipped to 93 mph, a career low. Over the past two seasons, his strikeout rate dropped to 19.6% after he’d averaged 23.7% from 2018-23. He also surrendered career-worst exit velocity and barrel rate numbers.
Still, Berrios has been incredibly reliable when healthy. No pitcher has started more games (234) or thrown more innings (1,367.1) than him since 2018. General manager Ross Atkins said the right-hander should be fully ready for spring training.
The Contract Complications Making a Trade Difficult
Any team interested in Berrios faces a tricky financial puzzle. He’s guaranteed $18.7 million next season, with $24 million due in both 2027 and 2028. Those figures could climb to $26 million annually through performance escalators.
The opt-out clause after 2026 creates a no-win scenario for potential trade partners. If Berrios bounces back and pitches well, he walks away after one year. If he continues declining, he’ll stick around and collect roughly $50 million through his age-33 and age-34 seasons.
There’s another wrinkle Toronto needs to consider. Berrios sits just 128 days short of 10 years of service time. He’ll cross that threshold on July 30, 2026, the day before next year’s trade deadline. At that point, he gains full no-trade protection. He already can block deals to eight teams under his current limited no-trade clause.
The Blue Jays will likely need to spend some money or swap bad contracts to finalize a deal. They could also keep him through 2026 and bet on injuries opening rotation spots, but that’s risky given his impending veto rights. Clearing his salary off the books would give Toronto flexibility to chase Kyle Tucker in free agency or bring back Bo Bichette.
