Jeff Hoffman
After spending many seasons struggling to find an identity and trying to establish a career in the major leagues, Jeff Hoffman finally had his fortunes changed when he decided to join the Phillies on a minor league deal during the 2022-23 offseason. With Philadelphia’s bullpen struggling to start the 2023 MLB season, Hoffman got his turnaround opportunity when his contract was purchased and he was called up to the big league club in early May of 2023.
From there, the rest is history. Not only did he stick with the Phillies, but he ultimately evolved into one of the best relievers in all of baseball over the past two seasons.
Some may find it surprising to see Hoffman still available in the free agent market. After all, he was coming off the best season ever for his MLB career in 2024. Last year with the Phillies, he amassed a 3-3 record with 10 saves along with an impressive 2.17 ERA and 0.97 WHIP, while giving up just 16 earned runs on 48 hits with 16 walks and 89 strikeouts in 66 1/3 innings pitched over 68 relief appearances. His exceptional performance was deservingly recognized as he earned his first-ever All-Star nod in the process.
Despite many ruling out the possibility of his return to the Phillies for the 2025 season, Hoffman was still highly expected to be a hot commodity this offseason. Many top media outlets have him ranked among the top five relievers in free agency, with Baseball America, Just Baseball and NBC Sports Boston even having him in the top three. But perhaps, with arguably the top relief option in Tanner Scott still available, Hoffman is just likely waiting for the market to work itself out before landing his next big deal.
On top of that, what could still be lingering in his mind is the possibility that he is still weighing his options on whether he can get the opportunity to be a starter again. That is because teams had expressed interest this offseason in potentially using him as a starter, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. In any case, Hoffman will eventually land somewhere, just for how long, how much and in what role.