José Berríos came to the Jays in a trade with the Twins at the deadline in 2021. Austin Martin and Simeon Woods Richardson went to Minnesota.
The Jays signed Berrios to a seven-year, $131 million contract after the 2021 season. There is an opt-out after the 2026 season, and there are $5 million incentive bonuses in both 2027 and 2028. Opting out after this season would be costly to him. He will make $18,714,286 this year, and $24,714,285 in 2027, and $1 more in 2028. I have a hard time believing he could do better than that at age 33.
I understand that he wasn’t thrilled to be left off the playoff roster, and I’m sure I wouldn’t have been either. TSN posted this:
“He was not happy,” Atkins said, per MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson. “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.”
“It’s always tough when someone of his pedigree is not in the rotation,” Atkins explained of the late-season move. “I’m sure he was not excited with that decision. Having to be the one who makes it makes it very difficult. I’d describe the relationship as solid, professional.”
It would be tough to have been such a steady presence in the rotation for several years and then be forgotten when the team is finally doing well.
In four and a half seasons with the Jays, Berríos has a 53-39 record and a 4.09 ERA in 138 starts (he had a 4.08 ERA in 135 starts with the Twins, he’s nothing if not consistent). He has a 6.9 bWAR in his time with the Jays.
2025 didn’t quite match his previous two. He had a 4.17 ERA in 31 games, 30 starts, and a 1.3 bWAR. Not bad, but a step back from what he’s been. He pitched 166 innings, the least he’s thrown since 2017, but that was still 23rd most in the AL.
There is a cost to throwing as many innings as he has over the past several years.
The question is how he fits into the Jays’ plans this year. We have Shane Bieber, Dylan Cease, Kevin Gausman, Cody Ponce and Trey Yesavage set for the rotation. Eric Lauer and Ricky Tiedmann are available in case of injury.
You can never have too much pitching, but, presuming the others are healthy, it is pretty hard to imagine that Berríos wouldn’t be the odd man out.
It’s a tough spot for the team. I have my doubts that he can be traded, at least without sending a lot of money along with him.
Anyway, Steamer thinks he’ll pitch in 47 games, 19 starts, 139 innings with a 4.37 ERA. I have no idea. He could fill a long relief role, but we already seem to have a lot of pitchers in the pen as well. But, he’s going to be pain, so he’ll be on the roster.
Read the full article here
