Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Excelling as closer so far
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Hoffman picked up the save after throwing a clean ninth inning in Friday's win over Seattle. He struck out two.
The Mariners made Hoffman work Friday, as the right-hander won a seven-pitch sequence against Randy Arozarena and an eight-pitch battle versus Dylan Moore by way of the punchout. The hard-throwing Hoffman has excelled as Toronto's closer to begin the season, posting a 1.59 ERA, 0.62 WHIP and a pristine 16:1 K:BB over 11.1 innings. The righty is a perfect 5-for-5 in save opportunities so far.
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Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Secures fourth save
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Hoffman gave up one run on one hit while striking out one in the ninth inning Wednesday to record his fourth save of the season in a 3-1 win over Atlanta.
The Toronto closer served up a solo shot to Drake Baldwin to ruin a combined shutout bid, but otherwise Hoffman was in control once again. The right-hander is 4-for-4 in save chances to begin his first season as the unquestioned top option in a big-league bullpen, posting a 1.74 ERA, 0.68 WHIP and 14:1 K:BB through 10.1 innings.
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Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Nabs win in extras
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Hoffman (2-0) picked up the win in Sunday's extra-inning victory over the Orioles, allowing one hit over two scoreless innings and striking out four.
The Toronto closer entered a 6-6 tie in the ninth inning, and stuck around for the 10th after the Blue Jays pushed across a run in the top of the final frame. Hoffman tossed 24 pitches (18 strikes) in the appearance, which could make him unavailable Monday should the team have a late lead to protect against Atlanta. Through his first 9.1 innings with the Jays, Hoffman has a 0.96 ERA, 0.64 WHIP and dominant 13:1 K:BB while converting all three of his save chances.
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Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Earns third save Wednesday
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Hoffman picked up his third save of the season in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Nationals. He gave up one run on three hits while striking out one batter in the ninth inning.
Hoffman needed only eight pitches to notch his second save of the year Tuesday, but he faced tougher resistance in Wednesday's bout. He quickly registered the first two outs of the ninth frame, but he proceeded to allow three straight hits, including an RBI double to Nathaniel Lowe, before a caught stealing ended the contest. Hoffman has secured a save in all three chances he's had and has tossed just 18 pitches across his last two outings.
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Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Secures second save
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Hoffman picked up his second save in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Nationals, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.
Hoffman needed just eight pitches to set the Nationals down in order. He's had no trouble yet in three appearances early on, allowing just two hits with a 4:0 K:BB.
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Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Earns first save
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Hoffman earned the save in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Orioles, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning.
Hoffman retired all three batters he faced, capping off a 10-pitch battle with Gary Sanchez to record a game-ending strikeout. The 32-year-old excelled in a shared closer role for Philadelphia last season, converting 10 of 13 save chances while posting a 2.17 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 89 strikeouts. Now in Toronto, he has the opportunity to thrive as the full-time closer for another playoff contender.
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Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Getting locked in
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Hoffman gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning during Saturday's split-squad game against the Tigers.
Signed in the offseason to be the Blue Jays' new closer, Hoffman has looked the part so far in camp, posting a 5:0 K:BB over three scoreless frames, and Jace Jung's single on Saturday was the first baserunner the right-hander had allowed. Hoffman recorded a career-high 10 saves last season for the Phillies, but he should smash that mark in 2025.
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Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Confirms failed physicals
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Hoffman on Wednesday confirmed that Baltimore and Atlanta backed away from pursuing him over concerns about his physical, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Speaking to reporters following his signing with the Blue Jays, Hoffman said he was surprised his physicals raised red flags about his right shoulder, adding that he feels healthy and the shoulder is a "non-issue." Based on the size of his contract, Hoffman should head into spring training as the favorite to be Toronto's closer after posting a 2.28 ERA and 158:35 K:BB over 118.2 regular-season innings across the last two seasons. If healthy, the righty has elite potential as a fantasy closer.
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Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Physical concerns nixed two deals
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Atlanta had a contract in place with Hoffman that fell apart after he failed a physical, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
Robert Murray of FanSided.com also reported previously that the Orioles had a three-year, $40 million deal in place with Hoffman that was nixed due to concerns over his right shoulder. It's not clear whether it was the shoulder which caused Hoffman's potential contract with Atlanta to fall apart, but it's a safe assumption. The righty has had two shoulder-related injured list stints during his career but has not experienced any known shoulder problems since 2021. Hoffman ultimately reached a three-year, $33 million deal with the Blue Jays which could get up to $39 million through incentives. He's slated to serve as Toronto's closer, but with Hoffman having a health red flag, fantasy managers might want to consider Yimi Garcia and/or Chad Green as a handcuff.
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Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Inks three-year pact with Toronto
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Hoffman signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the Blue Jays on Friday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
After bouncing between Colorado, Cincinnati and Philadelphia over his first nine years in the majors, Hoffman will reunite with the organization that originally drafted him back in 2014. The 32-year-old reliever is coming off the best statistical season of his career, as he reached the 10-save mark for the first time and finished the year with a 2.17 ERA and 0.96 WHIP over 66.1 innings with the Phillies. It's likely he receives a chance to close in Toronto, with Chad Green and Yimi Garcia (elbow) also in the mix to replace Jordan Romano (elbow).
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Jeff Hoffman: Being considered by some as starter
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Hoffman is being pursued by some teams in free agency as a starting pitcher, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
Hoffman, who turns 32 in January, broke out as a full-time reliever the last two seasons with the Phillies, posting a 2.28 ERA and 158:35 K:BB over 118.2 innings. He does have plenty of past experience as a starter and throws four pitches, so some clubs are intrigued by the possibility of giving him another shot to start. It's not clear what Hoffman's preference is -- or if he has one -- but he should be able to land a nice multi-year contract either way.
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Phillies' Jeff Hoffman: Misses workout with stiff neck
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Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Hoffman didn't pitch in a simulated game Wednesday due to a stiff neck, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Thomson said holding Hoffman back was precautionary, adding that he expects the reliever to be "fine" for Game 1 of the NLDS on Saturday. Hoffman will be a high-leverage reliever for the Phillies this postseason following a regular season which saw him collect a 2.17 ERA and 89:16 K:BB over 66.1 innings.
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Phillies' Jeff Hoffman: Secures 10th save
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Hoffman struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Thursday's 5-4 win over Atlanta.
Both Hoffman and Carlos Estevez had gone two days without pitching, so it's unclear why Hoffman got the save chance in this outing. This was his fourth scoreless outing in a row, and he's allowed three runs over 9.1 innings across his last 11 appearances since a four-run meltdown at Seattle on Aug. 3. Hoffman hadn't logged a save since July 10, and it's unclear if this signals a changing in the bullpen hierarchy or not, though manager Rob Thomson is known to prefer a committee for closing duties. For the year, Hoffman has a 1.92 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 74:15 K:BB through 56.1 innings while adding 10 saves and 17 holds.
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Phillies' Jeff Hoffman: Earns another hold
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Hoffman earned his 17th hold of the season Friday against the Nationals, striking out one in a scoreless two-thirds of an inning.
The Phillies have taken a fluid approach to the ninth inning this season, though Hoffman at one point appeared to be moving into something close to a true closer's role, earning a save in fourth straight appearances from June 30 through July 10. He hasn't earned a save since then, though the Phillies as a team have just two in that time, with one going to Matt Strahm and the other to trade deadline acquisition Carlos Estevez. Estevez seems to be the committee leader at the moment, but he blew a save Friday and has allowed at least one run in four of his eight appearances for his new team, so there's no guarantee he gets the next chance.
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Phillies' Jeff Hoffman: Secures eighth save
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Hoffman struck out one batter in a scoreless ninth inning Friday and earned a save over Atlanta.
Hoffman threw nine of 14 pitches for strikes to close out the 8-6 win. He's picked up a save in three straight appearances and has converted six straight chances dating back to May 17. Hoffman now owns a stellar 1.21 ERA with a 47:8 K:BB through 37.1 frames. Jose Alvarado took the mound in the eighth inning of what appeared to be a blowout win but gave up a three-run homer to Marcell Ozuna.
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Phillies' Jeff Hoffman: Notches seventh save
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Hoffman struck out two batters in a scoreless inning to collect the save Tuesday versus the Cubs.
The Phillies saw a 6-1 lead quickly get cut to 6-4 after Seiya Suzuki hit a three-run shot off Jose Ruiz in the ninth inning, so Philadelphia brought in Hoffman to make sure things didn't get out of hand. Jose Alvarado remains the team leader with 12 saves on the year, but Hoffman has also proven to be a reliable option with a 1.24 ERA in 36.1 innings.
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Phillies' Jeff Hoffman: Grabs fifth save
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Hoffman earned the save in Friday's 4-2 win over the Cardinals, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning.
Hoffman continues to impress in a late-inning role with the Phillies -- he's allowed just one earned run in his last 19.1 innings. The 31-year-old right-hander's ERA is down to 1.09 on the year with a 0.97 WHIP and 32:7 K:BB across 24.2 innings. Hoffman's up to five saves with seven holds on the campaign.
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Phillies' Jeff Hoffman: Earns fourth save
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Hoffman picked up the save in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Rangers, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.
Jose Alvarado pitched the eighth inning Thursday, leaving the ninth to Hoffman who'd set down the Rangers in order for his fourth save of the year. The Phillies continue to utilize a high-leverage approach to their bullpen, which has resulted in save opportunities for Hoffman when Alvarado is needed earlier in games. The 31-year-old right-hander has been excellent this year, posting a 1.25 ERA with a 1.02 WHIP and 29:7 K:BB across 21.2 innings.
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Phillies' Jeff Hoffman: Grabs third save
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Hoffman earned the save in Friday's 4-2 win over the Nationals, allowing one hit in a scoreless ninth inning.
After Jose Alvarado finished the eighth inning, the Phillies turned to Hoffman in the ninth. The right-hander worked around Joey Gallo's one-out double to record his third save of the season, and his first since April 30. Hoffman's been sharp this year, pitching to a 0.90 ERA with a 0.95 WHIP and 27:7 K:BB over 20 innings. While Alvarado is still Philly's preferred ninth-inning option, Hoffman should see the occasional save chance depending on matchups.
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Phillies' Jeff Hoffman: Nabs win Saturday
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Hoffman (2-0) picked up the win in Saturday's 4-3 victory over the Pirates, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.
After shutting Pittsburgh down on 17 pitches (11 strikes) in the top of the ninth to preserve a 3-3 tie, Hoffman got rewarded when Nick Castellanos walked it off with a single in the bottom of the frame. The right-hander has had a strong start to the season in a high-leverage role, being scored upon in only one of his seven appearances while posting a 2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 8:3 K:BB, but the ninth-inning picture for the Phillies could get even more crowded when Orion Kerkering (forearm) gets added to the mix, joining Hoffman (one save) and Jose Alvarado (two saves).
