Most Atlanta Braves fans are well aware that the front office has been pretty active in scouring the market for rotation help. They are apparently still hanging around Freddy Peralta's trade market and they were reportedly in on Tatsuya Imai before he ended up with the Astros. However, with acceptable options dwindling and spring training coming up fast, most had assumed that Atlanta wouldn't be landing a starter and would go with their internal options (which would probably be fine).
However, rumors have persisted that the Braves have continued to search for rotation help. While a number of names have been floated off and on during the offseason, Braves insider and beat writer Mark Bowman recently gave specific mention to Jose Berrios as a potential trade option for Atlanta.
Since it is Bowman, it is a mortal lock that he heard that name from someone that would know in the organization. However, Braves fans probably need to hope that the front office either finds a better option or end up just standing pat altogether.
Braves Rumors: Atlanta may be considering Jose Berrios as a trade target, but they should be cautious
The first obstacle when it comes to Berrios is his contract. He has an opt-out after the 2026 season which he could exercise with a strong season next year. However, that isn't a sure thing because if he doesn't opt out, he would be due $24 million a year for 2027 and 2028. The Braves would almost certainly have to come to some sort of agreement with the Blue Jays about them taking on a decent chunk of his contract to make a deal make sense and it might involve renegotiating Berrios' deal to where there isn't an opt-out in it.
The other problem is the direction the Berrios and his stuff has been trending in recent years. When Berrios signed his extension, he was coming off a season when he posted 3.4 rWAR with a 3.52 ERA and 204 strikeouts against just 45 walks across 192 innings. Berrios has remained a stalwart innings eater since then, but his strikeout rate dipped significantly and he has seen his average fastball velo drop from 93.9 mph in 2022 to 92.5 mph last season. Anyone out there to sign up for potentially three more seasons of that trend?
Like everything, cost is what is really going to matter here. If the Blue Jays just want to get Berrios off their roster to free up resources for other players, Atlanta could do a lot worse than taking on a small portion of his salary and sending a middling prospect in exchange. In some ways, the Chris Sale trade could be a framework. However, if the Braves have to pay Berrios real money AND Toronto plays hard ball on the trade package, Alex Anthopoulos should steer clear.