The Toronto Blue Jays’ rotation is set in stone, or is it?
On Wednesday evening, the Blue Jays signed Dylan Cease to a seven-year deal worth north of $210 million. Along with Shane Bieber opting into his player option, the Blue Jays’ rotation consists of those two, as well as Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, and José Berríos.
But that doesn’t mean the rotation is set heading into the 2026 season. Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith appeared on JD Bunkis’ latest podcast and noted that he’s heard some speculation about the Blue Jays potentially being open to swapping him. Full quote is below, or alternatively, you can listen to the entire podcast here (the quote begins at 21:12).
“There has been a little bit of speculation, I’ve heard that the Blue Jays would at least listen to some sort of swap involving José Berríos.”
There were also two other tidbits before and after this quote. Nicholson-Smith noted that it’s a low probability that this type of trade happens. Moreover, he noted that it’s unlikely that Berríos opts out of his player option after the 2026 season. If that’s the case, the Jays will owe Berríos $48 million over the following two years.
This conversation came up while speaking about the possibility of a return for both Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer. With the Jays’ rotation set on paper, a move would need to be made if they want to bring back one or both of these pitchers.
It was a tough season for Berríos in 2025. In 166 innings pitched, the right-handed pitcher posted a 4.17 ERA and 4.65 FIP, with a 19.8 K% and an 8 BB%. This wasn’t Berríos’ worst season as a Blue Jay, as his 2022 season was a disaster. That year, shortly after he signed his extension, saw him author a 5.23 ERA and 4.55 FIP in 172 innings pitched, with a 19.8 K% and 6 BB%.
That said, Berríos’ time as a Blue Jay has been a positive one. Like Cease and Gausman, the 31-year-old has been incredibly durable throughout his career, only missing his first start toward the end of last season. In 2023 and 2024, Berríos had a 3.63 ERA and 4.36 FIP in 382 innings pitched, with a 21.5 K% and 6.8 BB%.
The Blue Jays traded two top 100 prospects, Austin Martin and Simeon Woods Richardson, for his consistency. In 139 games with the Blue Jays, Berríos had a 4.09 ERA and 4.36 FIP in 790.1 innings pitched. During his time with the Twins, Berríos posted a 4.08 ERA and 4.01 FIP in 781.1 innings pitched, or 136 appearances.
Time will tell what happens in the remainder of the off-season. That said, expect Berríos to bounce back in 2026, just like he did after that brutal 2022 season.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.