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What will the Toronto Blue Jays do with Jose Berrios?
As MLB’s Winter Meetings approach, the trade market is going to heat up over the next week. For the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets, both organizations have been the most active in the hot stove season to this point.
The Mets have traded for Marcus Semien and added star reliever Devin Williams. Toronto has made two huge splashes in free agency by signing Dylan Cease to a $200+ million deal and KBO MVP Cody Ponce to a $30 million contract. With two massive contracts already given out, could the Toronto Blue Jays consider trading two-time All-Star starter Jose Berrios to offload some payroll?
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Blue Jays Reportedly Open to Trading Jose Berrios
The Toronto Blue Jays have an embarrassment of riches at the moment in their rotation. After the additions of Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce, other members of the starting rotation include Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, and Shane Bieber.
Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports that Toronto may be open to trading Jose Berrios.
Considering Ponce’s $30 million deal, one can assume that he’s squarely in the rotation, but where does that leave Berrios?
In this trade idea, the Mets are the beneficiaries of the Blue Jays’ rotation luxuries, but it would cost them Brett Baty and prospect Jett Williams.
The Mets need starting pitching help headed into 2026, and they are expected to address that need this offseason either via trade or the free agent market.
MLBTradeRumors.com’s Steve Adams piggybacked off the Bannon report, and gave reason to why the Blue Jays may be open to trading Berrios:
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“The other and perhaps more likely angle is simply that Toronto wasn’t enamored with Berrios continuing as its fourth starter and has acted decisively with a pair of additions pushing the veteran righty down the depth chart.”
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What Does Jose Berrios Bring to the Mets’ Rotation?
Jose Berrios is a two-time All-Star starter, but that was back in 2018-2019. He’s been extremely servicable for the Blue Jays after signing a seven-year, $130 million deal before 2021. He put together back-to-back quality seasons in 2023 and 2024, posting a sub-3.65 ERA.
However, in 2025, Berrios posted a 4.17 ERA over 30 starts in 166 innings. The concerning thing for the Blue Jays may be the fact that Berrios’s strikeout numbers are down. It’s been two consecutive seasons that Berrios has had a K/9 below 8, which isn’t bad, but if his ERA is going to inflate, his K rate can’t deflate.
So, what does this mean for the Mets’ starting rotation? Pulling off a trade for Jose Berrios would be huge for the Mets’ offseason plans of upgrading the starting rotation. Would Berrios be the team’s ace? No, but he’d be able to provide much-needed durability and the ability to take the ball every fifth day.
Berrios has made 32 starts in four of the past five seasons, and that lone season he didn’t make 32 starts was 2025, where he made 30 starts. That type of consistency is exactly what New York needs to add this winter.
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