From Wells to Berríos, the Blue Jays currently face familiar trade challenges

One of the major questions facing the Toronto Blue Jays ahead of the 2026 season is, what exactly will they do with starting pitcher José Berrios? At the Winter Meeting this past week, general manager Ross Atkins revealed that Berrios was unhappy with being removed from the Blue Jays rotation late in the season.

He also removed himself from the team during the World Series and while Atkins said that the relationship remains professional, one has to wonder just how much of a rift that could cause within the clubhouse. Many have suggested a trade might be the best course of action, but there are issues with that plan as well.

Few options on the table for Blue Jays to line up a José Berrios trade

No trade is simple, but when a team has a player on their hands who has a contract like Berrios does, it can complicate things. For one, he's owed $19 million this season (according to Spotrac.com) and $24 million in 2027 and 2028. He's also got an opt-out in that he can execute after 2026 and a limited no-trade clause.

For the Blue Jays, that feels like a tough sell to any team. You'd have to convince a team that Berrios is worth at least $19 million, let alone potentially $67 million over the next three years. You'd have to convince the team that Berrios could be capable of a bounce back year in 2026 and that he's worth worth giving up a couple of assets. And you'd also have to convince them those assets are worth dealing even if they only get one year of Berrios, because of the opt-out.

This situation is incredibly similar to when former Blue Jays GM, Alex Anthopoulos, was looking to move Vernon Wells. The Blue Jays centerfielder had signed a seven-year $126 million contract extension with the Blue Jays in 2007 under Anthopoulos' predecessor J.P. Ricciardi. By the time the 2010 season was over, the writing was on the wall for Wells.

He wasn't a bad player, in fact he had produced 8.3 bWAR between 2007 and 2010, but for a franchise that was looking to move in another direction and wasn't spending huge bucks at the time (they ranked 22nd in MLB payroll in 2010), Well's contract seemed like an albatross.

So at 31-years-old and coming off an All-Star season in 2010, Anthopoulos was able to capitalize by selling high on Wells and dealing him to the Los Angeles Angels. The Blue Jays had to retain some salary ($5 million in 2011, 27% of the $18 million Wells earned that year), but the Angles took on a guy who had an opt-out after the 2011 season, and was due to earn $63 million over the following three years. The Blue Jays got Mike Napoli and Juan Rivera in return.

So the question becomes, can the Blue Jays find a trade partner during the 2025-26 offseason to rid themselves of the disgruntled Berrios? If they are willing to retain 27% of the 2026 salary (roughly $5.13 million) they could probably find a taker in the two following teams.

Miami Marlins

The Marlins were 56-50 from June 1 through the end of the regular season, a pretty impressive run after going 23-33 to start the season (Mar-May). They could be a Wild Card contender in 2026 if they make the right moves, and one of those moves could be adding Berrios to a rotation that currently has two top of the rotation arms in Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera.

A fully healthy Berrios would be able to give them a ton of innings out of the rotation based on his history. The Marlins ranked 24th in MLB last season in terms of the number of innings their starting staff threw. Berrios has never pitched fewer than 170 innings in a full season, and still managed 166 in 2025.

A rotation headed by Alcantara, Cabrera and Berrios could end up being a winning combination and the Marlins seem to be looking to add - having just signed Christopher Morel to a one-year deal.

San Diego Padres

The Padres are a perennial playoff contender, but have not had much success breaking through once they reach the playoffs. They also have some question marks in their rotation as they have lost Dylan Cease to the Blue Jays and Michael King is currently a free agent. Yu Darvish will miss the entire 2026 season due to undergoing UCL surgery.

A recent report indicates they are willing to listen to offers for relief pitcher Mason Miller, whom the Padres acquired at the deadline from the Athletics. The Blue Jays may still be looking for a back end reliever even after adding Tyler Rogers and Chase Lee on Friday, and the Padres need a starting pitcher. Plus, San Diego has deep enough pockets to take on Berrios' salary, whether the Blue Jays retain some of that contract or not.

Padres GM A.J. Preller has never been shy about making bold moves and with stars like Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts and Fernando Tatis Jr. all on the roster, he'll be looking to continue adding to his team, to see if they can win a championship within this window of contention. Berrios could be a nice addition to the rotation that will lean upon Canadian Nick Pivetta to lead the group, followed by 27-year-old Randy Vásquez, while Joe Musgrove looks to return post-Tommy John surgery.

The Blue Jays don't have to trade Berrios, but if they are looking for a trade partner both the Marlins and Padres make sense.