The Toronto Blue Jays’ 2025 season was special. Contributions came from all different players on the roster, and they made it to Game Seven of the World Series against the eventual champion, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Blue Jays’ rotation provided many bright moments, whether it was ace Kevin Gausman, deadline acquisition Shane Bieber, or rookie phenom Trey Yesavage. The pitchers showed up.
One name who didn’t factor in for the entirety of the playoffs was 10-year veteran José Berríos. Nicknamed “La Makina” for the durability that he has showcased, he would routinely take the ball every fifth day en route to six straight seasons of 32 starts (excluding the COVID season of 2020, where Berríos made 12, which was the equivalent of 32) until the 2025 campaign.
Berríos was the Blue Jays’ Opening Day starter in 2025, taking the ball back on Mar. 27, when the Blue Jays kicked off the campaign by hosting the Baltimore Orioles. By the season’s final month, though, the team made a major move.
In September, the Blue Jays moved Berríos to the bullpen, as they went with a four-man rotation as they fought to hunt down the American League East title and number one seed in the American League. The bullpen experiment lasted one outing, as Berríos went two innings, giving up three earned runs against the Boston Red Sox. Two days later, on Sept. 26, Berríos went on the injured list for the first time in his career with elbow inflammation, wrapping up the year with a 9-5 record, 4.17 ERA, and 1.301 WHIP across 166 innings.
Could the Blue Jays Move On from Ace Berríos?
Through the postseason, there weren’t any Berríos sightings, even as other injured players, Bowden Francis and Yimi García, were seen in the team’s dugout. This prompted questions about the whereabouts of the team’s Opening Day starter. General Manager Ross Atkins answered those questions when speaking to the media in Orlando at the MLB Winter Meetings, talking about why Berríos wasn’t there for the run.
“He was not happy. He was disappointed that he wasn’t in our rotation, said Atkins on Berríos, adding, “He handled it well, but then when it came down to roster selection, he wasn’t on it.”
Berríos is still under contract next season for $19 million, but then comes an opt-out clause, or he can opt to stay with the Blue Jays for two more years at $24 million per year until the completion of the 2028 season.
The Blue Jays got the offseason started with Bieber exercising his $16 million player option for next year, signing Dylan Cease to a seven-year, $210-million contract, and then adding Cody Ponce, the KBO’s league MVP from last season, to a three-year, $30-million deal.
The Blue Jays appear to have Gausman, Yesavage, Bieber, Cease, and Ponce all lined up to start next season, with depth options in Eric Lauer and Bowden Francis, leaving a frustrated José Berríos potentially open to a trade. Here are some teams that could make a good fit for the 31-year-old right-hander.
Three Landing Spots for José Berríos in a Potential Trade
San Francisco Giants
With a rotation anchored by Logan Webb and Robbie Ray at the top, Berríos could slot in as a perfect number three, replacing Justin Verlander, who pitched last season with the club on a one-year deal.
Berríos and Webb are two pitchers who consistently take the ball, as Webb has started 32, 33, 33, 34 games in each of the past four years, giving the Giants two workhorses at the top of the rotation.
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Berríos could also provide a veteran, mentorship-type role to some of the Giants’ young arms in Hayden Birdsong, Landen Roupp, and Carson Whisenhunt, to name a few.
The Giants have a bunch of young outfielders in Tyler Fitzgerald, Luis Matos, and Grant McCray that the Blue Jays could look for in return, as Daulton Varsho and George Springer are both pending free agents after 2026.
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies are in their win-now window, a team with a high payroll that could take a shot at Berríos coming in to help round out this rotation. Zack Wheeler is an ace, but coming off surgery in September due to blood clotting, with a six-to-eight month recovery period.
Aaron Nola is coming off a season where he pitched to a 6.01 ERA, Cristopher Sánchez was elite, finishing runner-up to Paul Skenes in National League Cy Young Award voting, and then Jesús Luzardo fit in nicely with a 15-7 record and 3.92 ERA. That leaves one opening in the rotation, with Ranger Suárez being a free agent.
Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies could take a swing at bringing in Berríos to help round out the rotation, giving Andrew Painter more time as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery. Painter could work his way back in a bullpen role for next season, and with the Wheeler retirement rumours swirling after 2027, he can set himself up to claim a role the following year.
The Phillies could offer a prospect from the lower levels to the Blue Jays in return for Berríos, as the Blue Jays build back up the farm system. A young arm like Yoniel Curet could intrigue the Blue Jays.
San Diego Padres
Padres General Manager A.J. Preller has never been shy about making moves, as we have all learned over the years. So, how about bringing in Berríos to take a spot in the rotation that just lost Cease? Michael King is also currently a free agent, and Yu Darvish will miss all of 2026 with an elbow injury.
As of today, the Padres have Joe Musgrove, who is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, Jhony Brito, Kyle Hart, Nick Pivetta, JP Sears, Matt Waldron, and Randy Vásquez as rotation options, leaving much to be desired in the always competitive NL West.
An inning-eater like Berríos could slot in and provide value to a team that needs innings, provide quality starts, and help mentor some of the young arms previously mentioned.
A lower-level prospect could be part of a José Berríos trade return, with pitchers like Tucker Musgrove or Isaiah Lowe coming to mind.
Main Photo Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
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