Jeff Hoffman is one of, if not the most, polarizing Toronto Blue Jays players, and many would love to see him on the move as the team projects to be sellers ahead of the August 3 trade deadline.
His value at this point, however, would appear to be questionable at best, given that he lost the closer role and has gone through plenty of ups and downs wherever he’s been used out of the bullpen.
Fortunately for Toronto, there does appear to be one team that’s very interested in their volatile reliever. According to insider Bob Nightengale, the Philadelphia Phillies would love to bring Hoffman, who had the most successful seasons of his MLB career in Philadelphia, back again as they push for a World Series.
“The Phillies privately will tell you that they should have won one World Series since 2021, if not a ring for each hand.
Now, they enter the pennant stretch with perhaps their most flawed team since this run began. They are in desperate need of a late-inning reliever, and would love to bring back Jeff Hoffman of the Toronto Blue Jays,”
The 33-year-old Hoffman is in the second year of the three-year, $33 million contract he signed to join the Blue Jays as a free agent in January 2025. He has a 5-7 record with a 4.40 ERA and five saves in 46 appearances so far this season.
Hoffman was rather dominant as a Phillie, which included being selected as an All-Star in 2024 thanks to his 2.17 ERA in 68 appearances.
He was never a closer in Philadelphia and wouldn’t have to handle those duties should he return, either, with superstar Jhoan Duran in charge of that role.
As a result, it could be the perfect situation for Hoffman to join an already strong Phillies bullpen in a non-closer role, where he pitched better than he ever has before. That, in turn, could mean Dave Dombrowski is willing to pay up to get his former All-Star, which would be hugely beneficial for Ross Atkins and company as they look to acquire assets and retool to compete in 2027.
