Blue Jays Acquire José Rodríguez From Dodgers

The Dodgers announced that they have traded right-hander José Rodríguez to the Blue Jays in exchange for fellow righty Sebastian Rodriguez. Both pitchers are minor leaguers. Though the trade deadline passed a month ago, trades of minor leaguers are still allowed. Of the two Rodriguezes, the 25-year-old Jose is far closer to the majors. 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. Dating back to the start of 2025, he has thrown 88 2/3 innings, mostly at Triple-A, allowing 4.67 earned runs per nine. He has struck out opponents at a huge 33.2% clip while also giving out walks at a big 14% pace. The Statcast data at FanGraphs credits him with six pitches. His four-seamer and sinker average around 96 miles per hour while he also features 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. The profile says his changeup is his best pitch, with his slider also a plus offering, though the command is the biggest issue. For the Dodgers, they evidently didn’t have any near-term plans to call him up. Since Rodríguez signed back in 2019, it’s possible he was slated for minor league free agency in a few weeks. Though the minor leagues were canceled in 2020, Baseball America reported at the time that it would count as a season for such purposes. Rodríguez didn’t pitch professionally until 2021 but was technically assigned to the Dominican Summer League Dodgers during that 2020 year, per his transactions tracker at MLB.com. Rather than let him walk for nothing, the Dodgers have flipped him to the Jays. Presumably, the Jays will add him to the 40-man, either today or before the season is done and Rodríguez becomes a free agent. If the trade was completed before noon Eastern today, then Rodríguez would be eligible to play in the postseason for Toronto. That’s true even if he’s not immediately added to the 40-man. To add some immediate depth to their relief mix, the Jays are parting with a long-term project. Sebastian Rodriguez is 20 years old and was just signed as an international free agent this summer. He has thrown nine innings in the Dominican Summer League, allowing six earned runs while striking out 11 batters, allowing six hits, giving out three walks and one hit-by-pitch, and throwing four wild pitches. For the Dodgers, they are sacrificing some upper-level bullpen depth but they might not have had José in their plans regardless. Last year, they ended up using their starters as relievers in the playoffs a lot and could perhaps do so again. They will instead hope that Sebastian will benefit them in the long run. The Jays are giving up that long-term lottery ticket for a pitcher who could help them sooner, but who still has some rough edges that need to be polished. Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas.Imagn Images