7 Phillies Who Won't Be Back in 2025 After Major Postseason Letdown
By Jovan Alford
2. Jeff Hoffman
The 31-year-old Hoffman will also be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. The All-Star reliever didn’t show up in the postseason with an absurd 40.50 ERA.
However, even though Hoffman didn’t have his best stuff when it counted the most, he was still one of the best relievers in the National League. In the regular season, Hoffman sported a 2.17 ERA (career best) and held opponents to .197 at the plate.
The former starting pitcher turned reliever also recorded 89 strikeouts in 66.1 innings pitched (68 games) and had 10 saves (three blown saves).
This season, Hoffman was devastating against right-handed hitters, who only hit .173 with 49 strikeouts. His 2024 season was a noticeable improvement from Hoffman. He was one of the bright spots in 2023 as he developed into a weapon for Phillies manager Rob Thomson.
In 2023, Hoffman had a 2.41 ERA and held opponents to a .158 average at the plate in 54 appearances. The Phillies likely don’t want to lose Hoffman based on his growth and success over the last two years.
However, a few teams will offer him major money as he’s developing into one of the best relievers in baseball.
Now granted, the Phillies still have Matt Strahm, Jose Alvarado, and Orion Kerkering. But for them to be one of the best units in baseball, Philadelphia will need to find a way to keep one of their two free-agent relievers or have a good backup plan.