For over five seasons, José Berríos was the ace of the Minnesota Twins. On Sunday, the Twins found out what it was like to stand in the batter’s box against him as he lead the Toronto Blue Jays to a 5-3 victory.
Berríos has been solid since the July 30 trade that sent him to Toronto. In nine starts, Berríos has gone 4-3 with a 3.31 ERA as the Blue Jays chase the final Wild Card spot in the American League.
A big part of Toronto’s playoff push has been their offense, which handed Berríos a 5-0 lead after the first inning. With plenty of breathing room, the right-hander went to work allowing three runs over 6.2 innings while walking a batter and striking out six.
While Sunday was another chapter in the Twins’ disappointing season, the final verdict on the deal will be determined by the two prospects they received in the trade.
Austin Martin was the centerpiece of the deal but has gotten off to a slow start at Double-A Wichita. In 36 games, Martin is hitting .242/.380/.356 with three homers and a stolen base.
While Martin may be the future shortstop for the Twins, Simeon Woods Richardson might be the more intriguing prospect.
Richardson has allowed six runs over six innings at Wichita but has just 51.1 innings overall at Double-A. With the New York Mets and Blue Jays trying to push the 20-year-old through their system, the Twins could take their time and allow Woods Richardson to develop properly.
Both players will be key pieces to the Twins’ future but the Blue Jays are focused on now. With a performance like he had on Sunday, Berríos could be a key player come October.
