Twins trade Berrios to Blue Jays for huge prospect haul

The Toronto Blue Jays acquired right-hander Jose Berrios from the Minnesota Twins for infielder Austin Martin and right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson on Friday, the team announced.

Berrios will slot into a Blue Jays starting rotation that currently includes Hyun Jin Ryu, Robbie Ray, Steven Matz, Alek Manoah, and Ross Stripling.

The 27-year-old is 7-5 with a 3.48 ERA and 126 strikeouts over 121 2/3 innings this season. He's authored a 55-43 record with a 4.08 ERA and 1.23 WHIP across 781 1/3 innings throughout his six-year career.

The Puerto Rican hurler is owed the remainder of his $6.1-million salary for this season, and he's arbitration eligible in 2022 and can hit free agency in 2023.

The Blue Jays selected Martin with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 draft. The 22-year-old Vanderbilt product hit .281/.424/.383 with 16 RBIs and nine steals for Double-A New Hampshire this season. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the Blue Jays' No. 2 prospect.

The 20-year-old Woods Richardson is Toronto's No. 4 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. He was 2-4 with a 5.76 ERA and 67 strikeouts over 45 1/3 Double-A innings this season.

The Texas native, whom Toronto acquired from the New York Mets in 2019 as part of a package for Marcus Stroman, is currently playing for USA's baseball team at the Tokyo Olympics.

To make room for Berrios on the active roster, the Blue Jays designated right-hander Tyler Chatwood for assignment.

Berrios's acquisition is the latest move from a busy Blue Jays front office in recent weeks. Toronto acquired veteran closer Brad Hand from the Washington Nationals on Thursday, which followed trades resulting in getting right-handers Adam Cimber and Trevor Richards, and outfielder Corey Dickerson.

The Blue Jays, who haven't played in Toronto since 2019, return to the Rogers Centre on Friday to open a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals.