Pitcher surplus could have Blue Jays dangling this former All-Star at Winter Meetings

The Toronto Blue Jays have been one of the busiest teams this offseason and it has put them in a situation where they will likely need to make a trade.

As of right now, with the signing of both Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce, they now have six starting pitchers and Eric Lauer who could be considered both a starter and a reliever. That now leaves an odd man out, and that player is José Berrios who could very well end up traded this offseason, maybe even as early as this weeks upcoming Winter Meetings. It seems like all signs are pointing to the Blue Jays strongly considering moving him.

With a surplus of pitchers, Blue Jays could consider trading former All Star

Berrios has had an interesting run with the Blue Jays. It seems like every other year he was lights out, but the years in between he struggled. That was the case this past season. He had a down year which resulted in him slowly falling out of favour with the coaching staff. In 2025, he had a 9-5 record with a 4.16 ERA. That is the second highest ERA of his tenure with Toronto, next to 2022 when he had a 5.23.

This move seemed inevitable after how last season ended and then the Cease signing, the writing was on the wall. However, it was made significantly worse when they announced the signing of Ponce from the KBO. That essentially could end Berrios’ time with the Blue Jays.

At just 31 years old, Berrios is signed until 2028. When he signed the deal back in 2022, he signed for seven years and $131 million. Unfortunately, the deal did not age overly well and now it could be harder to move him. That said, there should be at least a dozen teams that could use him. After last season, he may be a number three pitcher in a rotation, but if he can find his footing with a new organization and return to form, he may just become a one or two, depending on the team.

A few teams that stand out are the New York Mets who are looking for an ace pitcher. Berrios has been that for the last handful of seasons with the Blue Jays. And, as mentioned, if he can turn it around, could be that again. There is also the Baltimore Orioles but it seems a bit unlikely that Toronto would do an inter division trade to off load a starting pitcher of Berrios’ caliber.

Lastly, there is also the Chicago Cubs, which could be an interesting team for Berrios. They are in need of more high end players to get over the hump. And starting pitching is one of those areas that they could address.

It does seem like a matter of when not if for a Berrios trade. It also feels like if they land another big named free agent like Kyle Tucker or Bo Bichette, then a Berrios trade would either happen in a corresponding move or thereafter to off load his contract.