DUNEDIN, Fla. -- The Blue Jays have eight starters for a five-man rotation, and so there are likely to be some unhappy campers when the regular season begins.
José Berríos started Friday afternoon’s 9-2 win over the Pirates at TD Ballpark and is battling to maintain a rotation spot despite having 108 career wins and having signed a seven-year extension worth $131 million in 2021.
Berríos allowed two runs in four innings and has a 3.38 ERA after three Grapefruit League starts. He was in good spirits after throwing 63 pitches (41 strikes) and also picked up the win thanks to Nathan Lukes hitting a grand slam off non-roster pitcher Jarod Bayless with two outs in the bottom of the fourth.
“There were a lot of good things,” said a smiling Berríos. “My stamina, [no] health issues. I pitched strong and went up another four innings. That’s good for me.”
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said of Berríos: “I loved the velo. I loved the location. I loved the conviction and the breaking ball. That was something coming into camp that he really wanted to focus on.
“I want him feeling healthy, which he is. And, two, getting back to that breaking ball that’s a little bit bigger with a little more sweep, a little more action down and in to lefties, down and away to righties. So, it was a really, really great outing for him. … And he was really strong.”
Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease (signed for seven years at $210 million) and likely both Trey Yesavage and Max Scherzer are set in the rotation. Shane Bieber, coming back from right forearm fatigue, is expected to be ready early in the season.
That leaves right-handers Cody Ponce and Berríos along with left-hander Eric Lauer trying to impress in a loaded rotation.
Berríos didn’t appear to be even the least bit perturbed about having to win a spot.
“We have a lot of good Jays starting pitchers,” said Berríos, who hopes for 75-80 pitches in his next start. “For sure, we are eight right now competing for five spots on the roster. So, I got that on my mind. I know I’ve got to do my work out there.
“Be me. Be consistent. And just keep competing out there.”
Berríos said he’s unsure as to whether he might still join Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.
He successfully mixed his pitches Friday -- four-seam fastball, sinker, slurve, cutter and changeup -- and was asked if one specific pitch pleased him most.
“With my fastball, being 92-94 [mph],” Berrios said. “But I locate pretty well. So, if I can locate my fastball, my other pitches are going to work better. … I had a lot of good breaking balls, changeups. Overall, it was a great outing.”
Pittsburgh outfielder Dominic Fletcher doubled before scoring on a second-inning single by Termarr Johnson and then hit a slurve for a 380-foot homer in the fourth to account for the two runs Berríos allowed.
Schneider has a wealth of pitching talent.
“It is great, right,” said Schneider. “And, again, there’s never enough pitching. And I think we’ve done a really good job of acquiring both early [with Cease] and late in the offseason with Max [who was a free agent after pitching for Toronto in 2025]. Whether it’s free agent or trade or whatever, developing.
“It’s nice to have options, and it can look crowded at times with the amount of starters that we have and the way that you handle it. … We were kind of in that situation last year a little bit when you’ve got [Chris Bassitt] on board, too. They’re all going to get stretched out accordingly, and they all understand that we’re just trying to do everything we can to win every night.”
Berríos was 9-5 with a 4.17 ERA in 31 games (30 starts) last season, while coming off his winningest season at 16-11 with a 3.60 ERA in 2024. But he didn’t get a postseason start or appearance during Toronto's run to Game 7 of the World Series. Now, the two-time All-Star and one-time Gold Glove winner is looking to get back on the track to greatness.
Schneider summed up the rotation situation: “So, however it starts, it might not end that way. Hopefully, if everyone’s healthy and performing, we’re going to have some tough decisions to make.
“We’ve gone back on the starters -- whether it will be five or six. We’ll see how that shakes out, but I’d like it to be traditional.”
Scherzer, who threw “around” 30 pitches on the side Thursday after throwing 40 on Monday, gets his first Grapefruit League outing in Clearwater on Saturday (1:05 p.m. ET) against the Phillies.
Gausman starts here Sunday (1:07 p.m.) against the Tigers, while Ponce gets the other split-squad start in Sarasota (1:05 p.m.) vs. the Orioles.