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Blue Jays 40-man Roster Review: Jeff Hoffman’s signing carries risk for the team’s future
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Photo credit: © Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jan 16, 2025, 16:15 ESTUpdated: Jan 16, 2025, 16:28 EST
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Welcome back to the Toronto Blue Jays, Jeff Hoffman.
This is Blue Jays Nation’s annual 40-man Roster Review, where we look at the players on the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster. We’ll look at how the player performed in 2024, his season projections for the 2025 season, and any storylines heading into this coming season. In this article, we’ll look at Jeff Hoffman.
The 32-year-old righty was selected by the Blue Jays ninth-overall in the 2014 draft but was traded to the Colorado Rockies in a package that netted the Blue Jays Troy Tulowitzki and LaTroy Hawkins. Hoffman’s tenure in Colorado didn’t go great, before eventually finding himself with the Cincinnati Reds in 2021.
There was success to be had in his two seasons there, more specifically his second season in 2022, where he made just one start in 35 appearances and had a 3.83 ERA and a 4.30 FIP in 44.2 innings pitched.
He signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2023 and became an important reliever for the team, posting a 2.41 ERA and a 2.57 FIP in 52.1 innings pitched with a 33.2 K% and a 9.1 BB%. Hoffman’s 2024 season was even better, posting a 2.17 ERA and a 2.52 FIP in 66.1 innings pitched with a 33.6 K% and a 6 BB%. If you like the colour red, you’ll love his Baseball Savant page.
Hoffman’s projections for the 2025 season aren’t quite as good though. Fangraphs’ Steamer has the 32-year-old finishing with a 3.25 ERA and a 3.27 FIP in 68 innings pitched with a 29.6 K% and an 8.2 BB%. Another projection model, OOPSY (still the funniest name ever), has him posting a 2.97 ERA and a 3.38 FIP in 68 innings pitched with a 29.6 K% and an 8.9 BB%.
The storyline for Hoffman’s 2025 season and beyond is his health. Both the Baltimore Orioles and the Atlanta Braves nixed their deals with the reliever after what they deemed issues with his physicals. This didn’t bother the Jays, who signed him to a three-year, $33 million deal. It also seemingly doesn’t bother the pitcher, as he’s stated it’s nothing to be concerned about.
There are two different scenarios. Either the Blue Jays have another Kirby Yates situation, where he required Tommy John surgery before the 2021 season even began, or they have a Carlos Correa situation.
If you can recall from two off-seasons ago, both the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets agreed to terms with the shortstop, but both teams were concerned about his right ankle. He re-upped with the Twins and produced incredibly well when healthy last season after a rough 2023 season.
Although he missed time with a foot injury last season, it was because of plantar fasciitis, distinctively not an ankle injury, and it has affected his left foot in the past as well.
Either way, the Blue Jays took a risk by signing Hoffman, with the potential rewards giving them a lights-out closer. Time will tell how it pans out for them.
As always, you can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.

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