Why this Blue Jays pitcher may become trade bait after 2025 season ends

At the trade deadline in 2021, the Toronto Blue Jays acquired two time All-Star José Berrios from the Minnesota Twins. Berrios had a fantastic run down the stretch for a Blue Jays team that just missed the playoffs. After the 2021 season, Berrios then signed a seven-year, $131 million contract to remain a Blue Jay.

Now in 2025, the Blue Jays are in first place in the American League. However, Berrios' future in Toronto could be in question after Berrios' struggles have led to a big change for the 31-year-old pitcher.

Berrios move to bullpen may be sign Blue Jays could want to move on after season ends

In his Blue Jay career, Berrios has started every one of the 138 games he has pitched in, but that is streak that will come to an end with the recent announcement that Berrios will be moved to the bullpen.

Berrios has only pitched one time out of the bullpen in his MLB career. That came back in 2017 which was just the second season of Berrios' big league career while he was still with the Twins. With the move to the bullpen, it could be a sign that the Blue Jays are seriously considering their future with Berrios in the rotation.

The 2025 season hasn't gone the way either the team or Berrios had hoped and as these predictions had Toronto seemingly relying on Berrios an x-factor. But when August arrived he lost a lot of his consistency and it became harder and harder to justify keeping him in the rotation.

In September, Berrios has particularly struggled while the Blue Jays continue chasing their first division title in a decade. In three September starts, Berrios has a 5.56 ERA in 11.1 innings pitched. In Berrios' start against the Cincinnati Reds on Sept. 2, he pitched just two innings while allowing six runs. In his last start, Berrios pitched four innings and allowed three runs against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sept. 16. It seems at times the Blue Jays can't trust Berrios to deliver in crucial games.

Berrios' contract could also be something the Blue Jays would like to move on from. While Berrios has three years remaining on his contract, he does have an opt-out. If Berrios doesn't opt-out after 2026, he would earn $24 million per year in 2027 and 2028. Berrios has a guaranteed $19 million for the 2026 season.

With a pricey contract and struggling to perform in 2025, the Blue Jays could look into trading Berrios away to try and free up that salary to sign other pitchers, and also have money in place in an attempt to re-sign Bo Bichette this off-season.