The Toronto Blue Jays have been active this offseason, as their two major signings have both been pitchers.
Toronto’s first move of the offseason was signing starting pitcher Dylan Cease to a seven-year, $210 million deal. The Blue Jays then added Cody Ponce to a three-year, $30 million deal.
With the Blue Jays putting an emphasis on pitching, Toronto has been linked to trading away pitchers. Jose Berrios’ name has come up as a potential trade candidate. But The Athletic’s Blue Jays reporter Mitch Bannon predicts Toronto will trade Yariel Rodriguez to the Texas Rangers.
Blue Jays acquire:
- UTIL Ezequiel Durán
Rangers acquire:
- RHP Yariel Rodriguez
The proposed deal does make sense for both teams. The Blue Jays get another utility bench bat. Texas, meanwhile, gets a pitcher who can be a high-leverage reliever or potentially start.
Duran is under team control through the 2029 season and gives Blue Jays manager John Schneider more flexibility. The 26-year-old hit .224 with zero home runs and 14 RBIs last season, as he’s more of a contact bat, which is what made Toronto so successful last season.
Rodriguez, meanwhile, did struggle down the stretch for the Blue Jays and was left off the World Series roster. He’s in the midst of a five-year, $32 million deal, as he’s under contract for two more seasons with a $6.3 million player option for 2028. Rodriguez went 3-2 with a 3.08 ERA in 66 games last season.
Analyst Explains Blue Jays-Rangers Swap
The one-for-one swap does make sense for both teams, especially if the Blue Jays land another reliever.
Bannon predicts Toronto will sign reliever Tyler Kinley to a one-year, $3.5 million deal, which makes Rodriguez expendable.
“Bringing in another reliever like Kinley would allow the Jays to trade from an already busy bullpen, as well,” Bannon wrote. “The Rangers are a potential partner, with their four most-used 2025 relievers either free agents or currently projected to move to the rotation.
“Texas has multiple top infield prospects on the cusp of the majors, so a utility man like Ezequiel Durán could be expendable for bullpen help. Trading Yariel Rodríguez for Durán allows the Jays to add a needed bench infielder while clearing up money to fit under the final CBT threshold.”
The deal seems like a win-win for both sides and a trade that could very well happen this offseason.
Toronto Looking to Add to Bullpen
The Blue Jays made a big move to add Cease and Ponce to build out the rotation, but the focus could be on the bullpen now.
Toronto is still looking to add a bat and has been linked to Bo Bichette and Kyle Tucker. But, another area of need for Toronto is the backend of the bullpen arm, as the team isn’t committed to Jeff Hoffman as their closer.
“The great thing about Jeff is he’s not married to that,” Atkins said at his year-end press conference. “Talking about the cohesion and team approach (of the Jays), he epitomizes that. I think he would be open to anything that makes us better.”
Although the Blue Jays are looking for another reliever, it appears Rodriguez isn’t part of the equation.
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