MLB Trade Rumors: Blue Jays & Twins Linked to Trade

Teams around baseball are assessing their rosters and figuring out their needs as spring training moves along. As front offices do their due diligence, some trade needs could begin to emerge, as certain players will be squeezed out of a role.

In Toronto, there's talk of a potential reunion with free agent starting pitcher Max Scherzer. If that comes to fruition, Jose Berrios's tenuous grip on a spot in the Jays rotation could be lost. He finished last season being pulled from the rotation, being left off the playoff roster, and then leaving town altogether, abandoning his teammates during the World Series.

All signs point to a potential end to Berrios's run with the Jays. He does have a player opt-out of his seven-year contract after this season, but he'd have to leave two years and $48 million on the table. It would be hard to imagine that the 32-year-old (at that time) would pass up that kind of money, as it's unlikely he'd be able to find that on the open market.

But what if the Jays could trade him now, and forego a messy divorce?

Could the Jays send Jose Berrios back to the Twins?

One proposed trade from Mark Powell would see the Puerto Rican right-hander head back to his old stomping grounds in Minnesota. The Twins are hurting in the rotation right now, with ace Pablo Lopez being lost for the year to Tommy John surgery this month, and co-ace Joe Ryan being held out with back trouble. They could use their old friend Berrios back in the Twin Cities.

He was taken in the first round of the 2012 MLB Draft by the Twins, and spent the first 5 1/2 years of his career in Minny. Two of them were All-Star seasons. He compiled a 4.08 ERA over that time with the Twins, pretty much identical to what he's put up in his 4 1/2 years with Toronto.

Granted, the $19 million salary for 2026 is a bit steep for the small-market Twins, but as Powell notes, if he fares well enough in the first half of the season, they could flip him to another team before the trade deadline in the summer, and recoup some assets.

For the Jays, they might have to wait and see how Shane Bieber recovers from forearm fatigue that has slowed his ramp-up this spring. He won't be ready to start the season. Between that, and seeing how the Scherzer situation shakes out, the Blue Jays might have to play a waiting game for a bit before shipping Berrios out.