Blue Jays' trade for Berríos has been a surprise smashing success
When the Toronto Blue Jays first acquired José Berríos way back in 2021, it’s safe to say the reaction from the fan base wasn’t exactly all that positive.
Coming in from the Minnesota Twins for a pair of prospects in infielder Austin Martin and pitcher Simeon Woods-Richardson, the starting pitcher was immediately slotted into Toronto’s rotation.
Berríos put up a 5-4 record with an ERA of 3.58 and 78 strikeouts in 12 appearances for the Blue Jays in 2021, but Toronto missed the postseason by just one game that year after finishing fourth in the ultra-competitive AL East with 92 wins.
Much of the trade vitriol didn’t have to do with Berríos himself, but rather the expectations for Martin, who was selected fifth overall in the 2020 draft barely a year before Toronto parted ways with him.
Fans were excited to see the budding star’s potential light up the Rogers Centre one day, and he was quickly shipped off to another team while playing just 56 minor league games for the Jays.
And while Toronto itself still hasn’t had any postseason success since acquiring Berríos, in a vacuum, the trade itself has been a clear win for the Blue Jays thus far.
After signing a massive seven-year contract extension following the 2021 season, Berríos had a tough 2022 year, going 12-7 with an ERA of 5.23. His 100 earned runs against and 199 hits against both led the American League, and it was a year that he’d probably rather forget.
But on the whole, he’s still a largely positive player for the franchise.
Since being acquired, Berríos has been Toronto’s leader in wins, putting up a 30-23 record in his time with the franchise. He’s been as consistent as any pitcher Toronto has had in the last half-decade, putting up an ERA of 4.15 and 425 strikeouts in 79 appearances for the team.
Meanwhile, the pieces Toronto traded away have yet to make any sort of impact for the Twins at the highest levels yet.
Woods-Richardson has a career stat line of 6.52 ERA across just two major league games, and is currently in Triple-A with the Saint Paul Saints. And while Martin finally made his major league debut this week, he’s made just five major league plate appearances in his young career.
In 2024, Berríos has gotten off to a hot start, going 2-0 with a 1.45 ERA across his three starts while picking up 14 strikeouts, nine of which have come via slurve. He’s already picked up a Wins Above Replacement metric in 2024 alone of 0.9, a far cry from the combined career -0.4 the players he was traded for have put up.
Maybe one day either Woods-Richardson or Martin will establish themselves as a major league regular, but they’re still clearly a step away from accomplishing that.
Toronto’s front office might not have won every trade, but it’s hard to argue this one has been anything but a home run for the Blue Jays.
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