José Berríos infamously didn’t return to the Toronto Blue Jays last season, refusing to pitch out of the bullpen during the playoffs. The two-time All-Star instead chose to rehab his elbow injury at his home base in Puerto Rico, missing out on the team’s near-championship run.
That led to quite a bit of drama this offseason, to the point that most pundits suggested the Blue Jays should trade Berrios, given their glut of starting pitching. At the Winter Meetings, general manager Ross Atkins said that “[Berrios] was not happy. He was disappointed that he wasn’t in our rotation. He handled it well, but then when it came down to roster selection, he wasn’t on it.”
With pitchers and catchers having reported to spring camp, it appears that Berrios is taking the first steps to mending his relationship with the team. He reportedly apologized to his teammates for skipping out on the postseason run, calling his absence a mistake.
José Berríos apologized today and has apologized to his teammates for how 2025 ended.
He says that he chose to go home to rehab in Puerto Rico and be with his family there, but owned that today, calling it a “mistake” and a “bad decision”. #BlueJays pic.twitter.com/CMhn4Fipc8
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) February 12, 2026
Berrios, 31, has three years and roughly $68 million remaining on his contract. He is no longer expected to be moved prior to Opening Day.
José Berríos’ performance will matter more than his apology to Blue Jays
For the last half-decade, Berrios has been a constant in the Toronto Blue Jays’ rotation. He’s thrown 790.1 innings since being acquired at the 2021 trade deadline, recording a 4.09 ERA and 4.36 FIP in that time.
He’s been remarkably consistent throughout his entire career, having tossed at least 165 innings in every full season since 2018. In fact, when he was shut down due to elbow inflammation last year, it was the first time in his 10-year career that he was placed on the injured list.
While Berrios did emerge as a trade candidate this offseason following the additions of Cody Ponce and Dylan Cease, it’s probably for the best that he wasn’t moved. Shane Bieber will miss the start of the 2026 campaign due to forearm fatigue, and he’s not exactly known for a clean bill of health. Even if he’s ostensibly the sixth starter moving forward, Berrios provides an important insurance policy for the rotation.
Of course, the ideal outcome is that Berrios produces like the ace he’s being paid as, rather than just key depth. Last year he was among his worst since arriving in Toronto, but he remains strong at limiting walks and inducing ground balls. Those are skills that should age well, and his long history of soaking up huge swaths of innings is valuable enough on its own.
While words are nice, odds are his teammates (and Blue Jays fans) are a lot more likely to accept his apology if he goes out and shoves on the mound.