Report: Blue Jays pitcher Jose Berrios will not opt out of contract

Jose Berrios is sticking with the Toronto Blue Jays as he continues to rehab from Tommy John surgery.

The right-hander did not exercise the opt-out clause for the final two years of his seven-year, $131 million contract, according to a report from the Associated Press on Monday.

Here’s what you need to know.

You can see Sports Interaction’s complete list of MLB futures here.

Jose Berrios

Berrios underwent Tommy John surgery on May 20 and did not pitch in 2026.

The 32-year-old was a top-of-the-rotation piece for the Minnesota Twins for several seasons, which included All-Star nods in 2018 and 2019.

The Blue Jays acquired Berrios ahead of the 2021 trade deadline before signing him to a seven-year contract the following off-season.

Berrios was the Opening Day starter for Toronto in 2025 before landing on the IL for the first time in his career near the end of the year. He did not feature for the Jays in their run to the World Series.

Over 31 games in 2025, Berrios posted a 4.17 ERA with 138 strikeouts and 56 walks over 166 innings.

Toronto Blue Jays

Assuming Berrios is healthy next season, he could be part of a rotation that already includes Cy Young finalist Dylan Cease, Trey Yesavage and Jose Soriano.

Cody Ponce is also looking to return to the rotation after suffering a season-ending knee injury in his Toronto debut last March.

With Shane Bieber and Max Scherzer electing free agency, Spencer Arrighetti and Bowden Francis are expected to compete for spots in the rotation during spring training.

Toronto could also make a play for this year’s top free agent pitcher available, Tarik Skubal. The two-time Cy Young winner is expected to sign one of the richest free agent contracts for a pitcher in MLB history.