The Toronto Blue Jays are way ahead of schedule.
The team’s rebuild has come together extremely quickly, and to the surprise of many, Toronto is in the playoff mix this season.
With the Blue Jays’ window to win just starting to open, many folks wondered how the team was going to approach things at the trade deadline.
We got our answer: The Jays went for it.
They made a handful of substantial additions, and perhaps their most notable move was the acquisition of Jose Berrios.
Berrios came at an extremely steep price, so expectations were high for the righty.
Now that about a month has passed since the deadline, it’s a good time to check in on him.
How has he performed in a Blue Jays uniform so far?
It Has Been A Rocky Month For The 27-Year-Old
Berrios started the year with the Minnesota Twins.
When he was there, he looked like a bonafide No. 2 or No. 3 starter, pitching to a 3.48 ERA, 3.58 FIP, and 1.04 WHIP this season.
Those numbers boosted his trade value substantially, so the Twins were smart to move him.
With Toronto, however, he hasn’t been the same guy.
He has made five starts so far, and he has a 4.81 ERA, 4.07 FIP, and 1.64 WHIP.
He looked really sharp in his first two starts with the Jays, but over his last three, he has allowed 13 runs in 12.1 innings.
The Sox, after scoring five runs in three days, are unleashing hell on former Twins ace José Berríos, with four runs and six hits in the yet-to-conclude top of the first.
— Vinnie Duber (@VinnieDuber) August 24, 2021
Opponents are batting .393 against him over that span.
Overall, Toronto is 1-4 in his outings.
Needless to say, that needs to change.
It’s Not Too Late For The Deal To Become A Success
Toronto’s deal for Berrios came with one extremely important detail: He’s under contract through the 2022 season.
The Jays could still make the playoffs in 2021, but realistically, that’s a long shot.
Next season, however, Toronto is going to be a legitimate title threat.
Everything seems to be coming together for the Jays just a little bit too late in 2021.
If the team carries its late-season success into the entirety of the 2022 campaign, the rest of the league better watch out.
That’s where Berrios comes into play.
Since he has another season left on his deal, he figures to be a key part of next year’s team.
It’s too soon to call the deal a bust after just a five-game sample size.
He has a solid track record (to the tune of a career 3.79 ERA, excluding his poor rookie season), and there’s no reason to believe that he won’t settle in with Toronto and regress to his mean (which is very good).
Wrap-Up
It’s fair for Jays fans to be frustrated with Berrios’ performance so far, especially considering what Toronto gave up in the deal.
However, no one should throw in the towel on the trade yet.
Berrios still has the entire 2022 season to prove that he was a worthwhile acquisition.
jose berrios has proven to be an elite pitcher in the AL over the past few years so i won’t be giving up on him after a few bad outings
— maddie (@maddiecholette) August 25, 2021
Next year is shaping up to be a very memorable one for the Jays and their fans.
With such an outstanding young core in place, the future has never been brighter for this organization.
NEXT: Toronto Blue Jays Still One Year Away From Contention