Earlier rumblings during the day Friday had former Philadelphia Phillies stud reliever Jeff Hoffman linked to the Toronto Blue Jays on a potential multi-year deal, as per MLB insider Jon Morosi. That speculation has now transformed into a reality as his departure from the Phillies becomes official.
The Blue Jays have inked Hoffman to a three-year contract, per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, as he comes full circle with the organization he began his professional baseball career with. According to MLB insider Robert Murray, the contract is worth $33 million with incentives that could bring the final amount closer to $39 million. As for the potential role of Hoffman with Toronto, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins indicated that he will be an integral part of their bullpen and will even get the opportunity to close out games as well, according to Matheson.
Jeff Hoffman signs in AL East as departure from Phillies becomes official
Hoffman was actually originally selected by the Blue Jays in the first round in the 2014 MLB Draft. However, because he was a part of the infamous blockbuster trade with the Colorado Rockies that brought Troy Tulowitzki to Toronto, he never ended up getting a shot to suit up for the Blue Jays at the big league level.
From there, Hoffman struggled to find his game until finally landing with the Phillies in 2023 on a minor-league deal. With Philadelphia, he had the distinct opportunity to establish himself as an elite MLB reliever, as he posted a stellar 8-5 record, 2.28 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, along with a whopping 158 strikeouts in just 118 2/3 innings pitched over 122 relief appearances. In doing so, Hoffman was even named an All-Star for the first time in his career last season.
By joining the Jays, Hoffman will no doubt be the new anchor for their bullpen, which was ranked near the bottom of the league across various statistical categories in 2024. With Toronto undergoing a major overhaul of their bullpen this offseason, Hoffman will now join the likes of Yimi García and Nick Sandlin as part of their newly revamped relief corps.
With that, Phillies fans may be disappointed that the potential reunion with the 32-year-old fan favourite is no longer possible. Nevertheless, we should be thankful for the two outstanding seasons that he brought to the team in helping them to much success.