Report: Blue Jays Trade For José Berríos

The Blue Jays have made a splash.

The Toronto Blue Jays have acquired Minnesota starting pitcher José Berríos, per Ken Rosenthal. Toronto will send back multiple prospects including pitching prospect Simeon Woods Richardson and hitting prospect Austin Martin in the return, per Jon Morosi and Dan Hayes.

Berríos is a two-time all star and was seen as one of the top arms on the market. With rental pieces like Max Scherzer and Jon Gray reportedly off the market or traded Berríos, alongside Texas' Kyle Gibson, was one of the top controllable names avaliable.

At 27 years old, Berríos is posting a 3.48 ERA in 2021, with a 1.044 WHIP and 9.3 K/9. Berríos owns a slightly above average career FIP, 4.01, and a 4.08 career ERA in 135 games.

Jon Heyman reported the Blue Jays were "consistently in" on Berríos, but were competing against teams that missed out on Nationals ace Max Scherzer for the controllable starter. Other teams that were believed to be in on the righty were the Rays, Red Sox, and Padres.

The right-handed Berríos is under team control through to the end of next season and adds a dynamic middle- or top-of-the-rotation arm to Toronto's pitching staff. With pending free agents Robbie Ray and Steven Matz, Berríos could join Alek Manoah, Hyun Jin Ryu, and Ross Stripling in Toronto's long-term rotation plans.