GLENDALE, ARIZONA – FEBRUARY 13: Jose Rodriguez #97 of the Los Angeles Dodgers participates in a bullpen session during spring training workouts at Camelback Ranch on February 13, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images)
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The Toronto Blue Jays made an unexpected late-season move by swinging a deal with the team that stole last year’s World Series championship from them in extra innings of Game 7 last year.
With the postseason approaching, Toronto acquired a minor league pitcher from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a deal that could give the club another potential bullpen option.
“The Toronto Blue Jays acquired right-handed pitcher Jose Rodriguez from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Dominican Summer League right-handed pitcher Sebastian Rodriguez,” TSN reported on Tuesday. “The 25-year-old native of Mexico has a 4-3 record and a 3.38 ERA with 36 strikeouts over 29.1 innings as a reliever in Triple-A this season.”
Rodriguez’s arrival is notable because of the late-season nature of the transaction, but also because the Blue Jays’ new player appears to have some standout traits that were on display off the field.
Toronto Blue Jays’ New Trade Addition Earns Strong Endorsement After Los Angeles Dodgers Move
Immediately after the trade was conducted, Jose Rodriguez showed some strong character by taking a seat in Round Rock, Texas, where his former teammates on the Dodgers affiliate Oklahoma City Comets were playing.
“Jose Rodriguez has been one of my favorites the last two seasons, both as a player and a person,” Comets broadcaster Alex Freedman wrote on X. “Traded earlier today, he is watching his now former teammates from the stands in Round Rock. Blue Jays, you got a good one.”
Rather than leaving his former teammates behind, Rodriguez remained to support them from the stands after being traded to Toronto. For a player joining a new organization so late in the season, that kind of move, which was candidly observed by Freedman rather than orchestrated as a social media moment by Rodriguez, showed some character that could help the Blue Jays’ newest player climb up the organizational ladder in the near future.
Toronto Blue Jays Add Another Potential Bullpen Piece In Surprise Trade With Los Angeles Dodgers.
While the Blue Jays lost their own pitching prospect in the trade to acquire Rodriguez, the player coming to Toronto is much closer to the majors.
“Of the two Rodriguezes, the 25-year-old Jose is far closer to the majors,” Darragh McDonald noted for MLB Trade Rumors. “An international signing of the Dodgers out of Mexico in 2019, he has been working his way up the minor league ladder since then. Since reaching the upper levels, he has shown huge strikeout stuff but also control issues.”
That combination makes Rodríguez an intriguing developmental addition for Toronto. His 36 strikeouts in 29 and one-third Triple-A innings this season certainly demonstrate swing-and-miss ability, while his control issues remain something the Blue Jays will need to evaluate.
For now, the timing gives Rodriguez a chance to join a contender and potentially work his way toward the majors. Toronto acquired a pitcher with legitimate upside, but his immediate endorsement from those who know him suggests the Blue Jays may have gained something beyond another arm.
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