"Ponce is fairly unproven as he has been pitching in Asia and his last MLB game was several years ago. It was reported this week that Bieber dealt with forearm fatigue late in the 2025 campaign and is now questionable for Opening Day 2026. Berríos was bumped from the rotation late in the season and also wound up on the injured list with an elbow injury."
"Keller is a logical target for the Jays, and many other clubs, since he could be deployed either out of the rotation or the bullpen. If the Jays were to sign him, his role could depend on his own performance as well as future moves, the health of Bieber, and various other factors. Earlier in his career, Keller was a decent starter for the Royals. He didn't get a ton of strikeouts but he got opponents to hit the ball into the the ground."
The Blue Jays have added to their rotation this offseason and remain open to additional starting options, including right-hander Brad Keller. The club signed Dylan Cease and lists Cease, Ponce, Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage and José Berríos as its on-paper rotation. Several pitchers present health or experience questions: Ponce has not pitched in MLB recently, Bieber had forearm fatigue late in 2025 and Berríos missed time with an elbow issue and could be tradeable. Gausman, Bieber and Lauer are scheduled for free agency after 2026 and Berríos has an opt-out then. Keller offers bullpen or rotation flexibility and earlier produced ground-ball contact with a 3.50 ERA from 2018–2020.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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