The Philadelphia Phillies have been one of the most successful teams in Major League Baseball over the past four seasons. The Phillies came into this year on the heels of three straight playoff appearances and look poised to make a fourth run as they entered Thursday’s doubleheader with the Atlanta Braves in first place of the National League East Division.
Because of their success, teams are looking to acquire players who may become expendable to add a piece of the Phillies’ culture to their clubhouse. While a high-priced free agent works in some instances, it turns out to be a lemon in others including one former Phillies reliever that is already robbing his new team blind in 2025.
Former Phillies Reliever Jeff Hoffman is Struggling Mightily in First Season With Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays poached the Phillies bullpen last winter, adding reliever Jeff Hoffman on a three-year, $33 million contract. A former first-round pick by the Blue Jays in the 2014 draft, Hoffman posted a 5.68 ERA before turning his career around in two seasons with the Phillies.
Hoffman was one of Philadelphia’s top relievers during that time, posting a 8-5 record and a 2.28 ERA in 122 games. He had the best season of his career in 2024, going 3-3 with a 2.17 ERA in 66.1 innings and he made the All-Star team, prompting FanGraphs to give him a market value of $10 million per season last winter.
The Blue Jays didn’t overpay to acquire Hoffman and the plan was for the 32-year-old to replace Jordan Romano as the closer this season. Hoffman had a strong start to the season, posting a 1.10 ERA with 23 strikeouts and two walks over his first 16.1 innings, but the wheels have fallen off with a 14.63 ERA, 12 strikeouts and four walks over his last eight innings.
Hoffman’s 3.60 fielding independent pitching suggests he deserved a better fate and he remains one of the league’s best in chase rate (39%), strikeout rate (35.7%) and whiff rate (32.5%) according to Baseball Savant.
Still, a $10 million closer shouldn’t have a 5.55 ERA at this point of the season and Blue Jays fans are starting to search for answers. Toronto manager John Schneider downplayed Hoffman’s struggles, chalking it up to “the life of a reliever” but it’s also interesting to wonder what would have happened had Hoffman stayed in Philadelphia.
The Phillies’ bullpen has been a topic of conversation as it ranked 23rd with a 4.53 ERA entering Thursday’s doubleheader against Atlanta. It also took a bigger hit when Jose Alvarado received an 80-game suspension for violating MLB’s performance-enhancing drugs policy.
Perhaps the fact that the Phillies are well over the luxury tax threshold kept them from retaining Hoffman as it’s currently preventing a reunion with David Robertson. But with Hoffman struggling in Toronto, Philadelphia may have dodged another bullpen bullet, leaving the Blue Jays dealing with the consequences.