Philadelphia Phillies Lose All-Star Relief Pitcher to AL East Franchise
The Philadelphia Phillies have lost one of their best relief pitchers to free agency.
According to an announcement from the team, the Toronto Blue Jays have officially signed Jeff Hoffman to a three-year deal worth $33 million, a nice payday for Hoffman coming off the best season of his career.
The chances of the Phillies signing Hoffman appeared to be slim for a while, but now it’s become official.
In the 2024 season, Hoffman posted a 2.17 ERA over 68 appearances, striking out 89 batters in just 66.1 innings pitched on his way to becoming an All-Star for the first time in his career.
He had a very good season in 2023 for Philadelphia as well after arriving to the team initially on a minor league deal before having his contract selected and breaking out with a 2.41 ERA over 54 appearances with 69 strikeouts in 52.1 innings pitched.
Hoffman was actually drafted by the Blue Jays initially in the first round (ninth overall) of the 2014 MLB Draft, but was traded to the Colorado Rockies before making his MLB debut as a part of the package for Troy Tulowitzki. Before arriving to the Phillies, he also had a two-year stint with the Cincinnati Reds.
At 32 years old, he has taken almost a decade to reach his peak abilities, but he is unquestionably one of the best relief pitchers in baseball, though the rumor of him making the switch to a starting rotation has been prevalent throughout the offseason.
While Hoffman struggled tremendously in the playoff elimination against the New York Mets and rightfully was criticized, he should still be remembered for the two solid years he spent in Philadelphia.
