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Blue Jays bullpen concerns: Can Jeff Hoffman hold the closer’s role?
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Photo credit: © Mark Smith-Imagn Images
Nick Prasad
Sep 11, 2025, 07:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 10, 2025, 22:14 EDT
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Among Major League teams, the Toronto Blue Jays face a familiar concern with their bullpen and closing games in the ninth inning. While Toronto’s closer Jeff Hoffman is not among the league’s worst, he has shown sporadic inconsistency that raises questions about his reliability in high-leverage situations.
After last night’s ninth-inning home run to Yainer Diaz, he let another game slip away and earned the loss for Toronto. While the bats weren’t much help for most of the game, Hoffman was tasked with keeping the game tied heading into the bottom of the ninth and couldn’t figure it out.

Jeff Hoffman’s 2025 Performance

Hoffman’s current numbers:
  • 30 saves
  • 7 blown saves
  • 9–7 record
  • 4.76 ERA
  • 15 home runs allowed
When he’s locked in, Hoffman is extremely effective. However, his arsenal has been figured out by opposing hitters, especially his fastball. Despite strong counting stats, he carries a 23% blown save rate, which keeps him outside the “elite closer” category.
His 15 home runs allowed lead all Major League relievers, surpassing former Jay Chad Green and Nationals reliever Jackson Rutledge.

How Toronto can work with Hoffman moving forward

A simple adjustment would be to redeploy Hoffman in lower-leverage or matchup-based innings instead of automatically handing him the ninth.
That doesn’t seem like a plan the Jays are moving forward with, and that might be because the club hasn’t had a ton of success out of the relief corps since the trade deadline. While the recent stats are trending in the right direction (despite Hoffman’s blowup last night), the Jays seem keen to keep giving the right-hander the ninth inning and/or high-pressure situations.
If manager John Schneider decides to move on from Hoffman in his current role, he could deploy the following strategies:
  • Matchup usage: Consider the batting order and left/right splits in low-leverage situations
  • Eighth-inning setup: Hoffman could be slotted in for key outs before the ninth, especially against lineups he matches well with

Blue Jays’ arms who could supplement Hoffman in the closer’s spot

1. Seranthony Dominguez

The right-hander is the most natural candidate to step in, given his overpowering fastball and previous experience late in games (40 career saves). His 2025 stats:
  • 3.36 ERA across 60 games (56 1/3 innings)
  • 71 strikeouts (29.8% K-rate)
  • Diverse five-pitch repertoire with a fastball touching 97.7 mph
While his walk rate (14.3%) is a concern, Dominguez generates a strong 41.2% ground-ball rate and shows the arsenal to handle late-inning pressure. If he can control the free passes, he seems like a natural candidate.

2. Brendon Little

The left-hander may not be the ideal option, but he’s been effective in spurts:
  • 3.10 ERA in 61 innings
  • 86 strikeouts
  • A reliable three-pitch mix that plays well in short appearances
Little lacks closer experience but could serve in matchup-driven ninth-inning situations. The walk rate is a major red flag, considering he looks like he can’t command the strike zone at times, but when he’s dialled in, his knuckle curve is practically unhittable.

Other bullpen options

Beyond Domínguez and Little, the Blue Jays could adopt a matchup-by-matchup approach depending on opponent, availability, and rest. While not ideal for long-term stability, this flexibility could bridge gaps in critical games.
Yariel Rodriguez is one name that comes to mind. He boasts a solid 3.09 ERA and a 1.090 WHIP on the season. Rodriguez really struggled in August (eight earned runs in 9 1/3 innings), but he has bounced back well through three outings in September. The right-hander has allowed just three hits through 4 1/3 innings while striking out four.
Louis Varland and Braydon Fisher are also potential options, but the trio mentioned above are likely above them on the depth charts for the time being.

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