The Blue Jays have added a closer-to-the-majors arm, acquiring right-hander José Rodríguez from the Dodgers in exchange for fellow righty Sebastian Rodriguez. Both pitchers are minor leaguers, and even though the trade deadline has already come and gone, that kind of deal is still allowed.
José Rodríguez is the more advanced piece in the swap. He’s 25, originally signed by the Dodgers out of Mexico in 2019, and has spent the years since climbing the minor league ladder.
Once he got into the upper levels, the stuff started to pop in a big way, but so did the control issues. Since the start of 2025, he has worked 88 2/3 innings, mostly at Triple-A, and posted a 4.67 ERA.
The swing-and-miss is real - he’s struck out 33.2% of batters faced - but the walks have piled up too, at a 14% clip.
His pitch mix is deep. FanGraphs’ Statcast data credits him with six offerings: a four-seamer and sinker that both sit around 96 mph, plus a changeup, cutter, slider and curveball.
Baseball America currently lists him as the #30 prospect in the Yankees’ system, which is clearly a mistake because the scouting report matches this pitcher, mentioning him signing with the Dodgers out of Mexico. That report calls the changeup his best pitch, says the slider is also a plus weapon, and points to command as the biggest concern.
From the Dodgers’ side, the move looks like a practical one. They apparently didn’t have a near-term call-up planned for Rodríguez, and since he signed in 2019, he may have been close to minor league free agency anyway.
Baseball America noted at the time that the canceled 2020 minor league season would still count for such purposes. Rodríguez didn’t pitch professionally until 2021, though MLB.com’s transactions tracker shows he was technically assigned to the Dominican Summer League Dodgers during that 2020 year.
Instead of risking losing him for nothing, Los Angeles flipped him to Toronto. The Blue Jays will presumably add him to the 40-man roster, either now or before the season ends and Rodríguez becomes a free agent. If the trade was completed before noon Eastern today, he would be eligible for Toronto’s postseason roster even if he isn’t added right away.
The cost for Toronto is Sebastian Rodriguez, a 20-year-old international free agent signed this summer. He’s been in the Dominican Summer League, where he’s thrown nine innings and allowed six earned runs. He’s also struck out 11 hitters, given up six hits, issued three walks and one hit-by-pitch, and thrown four wild pitches.
For the Dodgers, it’s a trade of some upper-level bullpen depth for a younger long-term gamble. They may not have had José Rodríguez penciled in anyway, especially after leaning on starters in relief during last year’s playoffs and potentially doing that again. The Blue Jays, meanwhile, are betting that José’s arm can help sooner, even if the rough edges are still very much part of the package.
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