Jeff Hoffman is returning to the team that drafted him. Hoffman has rejoined the Toronto Blue Jays on a three-year contract worth $33 million, the team announced Friday night. There had been rumblings Hoffman would look for opportunities to start next season, though he will remain in the bullpen with Toronto, the team confirmed.
“We are excited to add Jeff to our bullpen. His arsenal, strike throwing, and ability to miss bats against all types of hitters is elite and will undoubtedly make us better,” GM Ross Atkins said in a statement. “Jeff will get an opportunity to close games for us this season. His track record, competitiveness, and experience make him a great complement to this group. We look forward to welcoming him, his wife Marissa, and their children Tytan, Houstyn, Jetsyn, and Lennyn to Toronto.”
For the 2024 campaign, Hoffman worked 66 ⅓ innings with an ERA of 2.17 (188 ERA+) and an FIP of 2.52 for the Philadelphia Phillies. Hoffman also struck out 33.6% of opposing batters, and he earned his first career All-Star selection. In 2023, also with the Phillies, he churned out similar levels of dominance. He spent the earliest years of his career as a failed starter with the Rockies. However, a switch to the bullpen — especially after he joined the Phillies — unlocked Hoffman’s potential.
Earlier in the offseason, CBS Sports ranked Hoffman as the No. 24 available free agent in the current class. Here’s part of our write-up:
Hoffman spent two seasons with the Phillies, during which he morphed into an elite reliever. The damage: a 184 ERA+ and a 4.51 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 122 appearances. He throws four pitches but he really leans on two in particular: his swing-and-miss slider (the only pitch in his arsenal that goes glove side) and his mid-to-upper-90s heater. (He’ll also chuck a splitter and a sinker.) Hoffman generates an elite amount of whiffs and chases, and he has greatly improved his control since his starter days. The only thing separating him from a 30-save season is opportunity. It’s coming.
The Blue Jays selected Hoffman with the No. 9 pick in the 2014 draft. He had Tommy John surgery at East Carolina in the weeks leading up to the draft, though Toronto loved his potential, and selected him with their first-round pick anyway. The Blue Jays traded Hoffman to the Colorado Rockies in the Troy Tulowitzki deal at the 2015 trade deadline.
Hoffman will join Chad Green and the recently signed Yimi García at the back of Toronto’s bullpen. Hoffman, García and Andrés Giménez are the most notable additions the Jays have made this winter. They pursued both Corbin Burnes and Juan Soto, but failed to land either.
Hoffman, who turns 32 in January, will enter the 2025 season with 12 career saves.
