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Blue Jays: Jeff Hoffman has proved he’s worth every cent with his postseason performance
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Photo credit: © Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Oct 30, 2025, 07:00 EDTUpdated: Oct 30, 2025, 03:43 EDT
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If this postseason has proved anything, it’s that the Toronto Blue Jays made the right decision by signing Jeff Hoffman.
On January 10, it was reported that the Jays and Hoffman agreed to a three-year deal worth between $33 million and $39 million. Originally drafted by the Blue Jays, Hoffman was traded to the Colorado Rockies before the 2015 trade deadline in exchange for Troy Tulowitzki.
His career as a starter didn’t work out, and in 2021, he joined the Cincinnati Reds as a bulk reliever who could make a start every once in a while. Hoffman’s 2022 with the Reds was solid, but it wasn’t until 2023 with the Philadelphia Phillies that Hoffman became a high-leverage reliever. He spent two successful seasons there before returning to the team that drafted him.
Hoffman’s regular season didn’t go great. He pitched in a career-high 71 games, posting a 4.37 ERA and 4.90 FIP in 68 innings pitched. He had a strong 29.3 K% and a respectable 9.4 BB%, but struggled mightily with home runs. In those 68 innings, Hoffman gave up 15 home runs, the second-most for any reliever aside from Jackson Rutledge.
At certain points during the season, questions arose as to whether he should be pitching in high-leverage, much less closing for the Blue Jays. Those discussions cooled in the final month of the season, as he gave up just one earned run from August 31 until the end of the season, granted his K% dropped considerably while his BB% jumped to 14%.
He’s carried that momentum into the postseason, and then some. Hoffman has been worth every cent of that contract in his nine appearances, as he’s given up just one earned run in 11 innings of work, striking out 16 and walking four, two of them being intentional. 
Overall, Hoffman has a 0.82 ERA and 1.86 FIP, with a 37.2 K% and 9.3 BB%, which drops to a 4.7 BB% when removing the intentional walks. Of course, Hoffman has also had some huge outs this postseason.
Take his second game of the postseason, for example, Game 4 of the American League Divisional Series. In the bottom of the eighth, the Blue Jays had a 5-1 lead, but the Yankees were threatening with runners on first and second and two outs. Hoffman walked the first batter he faced to bring the tying run to the plate, but got Austin Wells to fly out to end the inning.
After eight pitches, Hoffman was back out there for the bottom of the ninth. Jasson Domínguez hit a lead-off double and was cashed in when Aaron Judge hit a two-out single, Hoffman’s lone blemish this postseason. Thankfully, Hoffman struck out Cody Bellinger to give the Blue Jays the series over their divisional rivals.
That was one of two saves for Hoffman this postseason. The day before his second, Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, Hoffman threw 35 pitches over two innings, the Blue Jays’ 6-2 win over the Seattle Mariners to set up Game 7.
After George Springer hit the massive three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh, the Jays needed just six outs to punch their ticket to the World Series. Chris Bassitt got three of them, setting up Hoffman to get the last three, despite throwing 35 pitches 24 hours before. The Jays’ closer proceeded to strike out the side in order to send them to the World Series for the first time in 32 years.
Hoffman has pitched in three games during the World Series, allowing two hits in three and two-thirds innings pitched. For the second time, he threw upwards of 30 pitches in a two-inning effort. Thankfully, he had a day’s rest before retiring the final three outs in Game 5.
His regular season may not have been great, but Hoffman has proved his worth this postseason.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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