José Berríos remained a rock-solid presence in the Blue Jays 2024 rotation

Looking back on the Toronto Blue Jays' 2024 season, very few things went right. But one of the bright spots came from one of the veterans who continued to perform like we’ve come to expect.

It wasn't always pretty, but in the end, right-hander Jose Berríos put together a solid 32-start campaign that saw him post some of his best full-season numbers with the Blue Jays. His 3.60 ERA and 1.15 WHIP are his best marks in Toronto since his two-month post-trade deadline stint at the end of 2021.

The former Twin pitched 192 1/3 innings, the most he's thrown since reaching 200 innings with Minnesota in 2019. He also won the most games of his career, with a 16-11 record that brought him to within one victory of the century mark — he's sitting on 99 wins heading into 2025.

José Berríos bailed out the Blue Jays rotation early in 2024

When Kevin Gausman struggled to begin the 2024 season, the Blue Jays needed someone to step up in the rotation, and Berríos did just that. The 30-year-old took over the role of staff ace in the early going. Berríos proved to be a rock amidst the early-season turmoil surrounding the rotation, with a 1.44 ERA through his first seven starts, six of which were quality starts.

After an eight-run shellacking at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies to begin May, the trusty veteran posted another stretch of five quality starts with a 2.73 ERA to carry the staff into June. If you're keeping score at home, that's 11 quality starts in his first 13 outings of the year.

Unfortunately, the good times didn't last for Berríos, as he experienced a summer swoon. In 10 starts from June 10 to Aug. 3, he went 4-5 with an ugly 6.02 ERA.

As the Blue Jays' season spiraled out of control over this time and the front office sold off parts, it was a different-looking squad heading into the final two months of the season. As one of the remaining veterans on the roster, Berríos stepped up again and helped carry one of the best starting rotations in baseball through August and September.

Berríos went on another insane run of eight quality starts in a row, going 7-1 with a 1.51 ERA and 0.88 WHIP. Despite faltering in his final start of the year, Berríos' 2024 season proved that he still has what it takes to be a No. 2 starter.

With the Blue Jays eyeing a bounceback to being competitive in 2025, they'll need Berríos to help get them there. Going into his age-31 season, he still has four years left on his contract in Toronto (although he can opt out after 2026). How long will this dependable version of Berrios last? However long it is, the Blue Jays need to take advantage of it while he has it.