Inside The Dodgers

Dodgers Make Trade, Acquire Outfielder From Blue Jays

J.P. Hoornstra|
Mar 2, 2025; Dunedin, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) and Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Steward Berroa (37) warm up before a game against the Philadelphia Phillie during spring training at TD Ballpark.
Mar 2, 2025; Dunedin, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) and Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Steward Berroa (37) warm up before a game against the Philadelphia Phillie during spring training at TD Ballpark. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers acquired outfielder Steward Berroa from the Toronto Blue Jays for cash considerations Monday.

Berroa, 25, is 7-for-35 in 28 major league games, all with the Blue Jays last year. A switch-hitter from the Dominican Republic, Berroa spent seven seasons in the Toronto system before making his MLB debut.

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Berroa had spent the entire 2025 season at Triple-A Buffalo, where he was hitting .195 with a .267 on-base percentage and a .234 slugging percentage. Despite his low on-base percentage, Berroa had stolen nine bases in 12 attempts in the International League.

The Blue Jays designated Berroa for assignment May 7.

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After signing as an international free agent on July 4, 2016, Berroa became known for his speed and defensive prowess as a prospect. Throughout his minor league career, Berroa demonstrated a strong ability to steal bases, accumulating 48 steals in both 2021 and 2022, and 47 steals in 2023. He stole six bases during his 28-game cameo last season.

If Berroa heads to Triple-A Oklahoma City, he will give the Comets arguably the fastest outfield in the Pacfic Coast League.

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Esteury Ruiz, who's played 30 games with Oklahoma City since the Dodgers acquired him in a March trade with the A's, is 19-for-21 in stolen bases this season. Ruiz stole an American League-leading 67 bases in 2023.

If he is headed to Los Angeles, Berroa does not need to be added to the Dodgers' roster until Tuesday, when the team begins its three-game series against the A's.

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Berroa's addition potentially adds pressure on James Outman, who has struggled to hit (1-for-15) in five games since his latest promotion from Oklahoma City. Outman has been filling in for Teoscar Hernández since the slugger was placed on the 10-day injured list.

With Berroa coming on board, the Dodgers have an enviable trove of speedy outfielders with major league experience to choose from. Ruiz (26) and Outman (27) are older than Berroa.

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That could potentially help Berroa get a longer look as the Dodgers try to coax more production from his bat than he showed in Toronto.

The Dodgers don't have to make a 40-man roster move to accommodate Berroa, but they will need to make one if Clayton Kershaw is activated as planned prior to his return to Los Angeles this coming weekend.

For more Dodgers news, head over to Dodgers on SI.

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J.P. Hoornstra
J.P. HOORNSTRA

J.P. Hoornstra is an On SI Contributor. A veteran of 20 years of sports coverage for daily newspapers in California, J.P. covered MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Los Angeles Angels (occasionally of Anaheim) from 2012-23 for the Southern California News Group. His first book, The 50 Greatest Dodgers Games of All-Time, published in 2015. In 2016, he won an Associated Press Sports Editors award for breaking news coverage. He once recorded a keyboard solo on the same album as two of the original Doors.

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