The Blue Jays made a big bullpen improve on Friday night, asserting a three-year cope with Jeff Hoffman that ensures $33MM. The CAA shopper reportedly receives a $5MM signing bonus and may earn one other $6MM in incentives. He’d unlock $500K for reaching every of 60, 70, 80 and 90 innings pitched in all three seasons. He’ll make a $6MM wage subsequent season adopted by $11MM yearly from 2026-27.
Normal supervisor Ross Atkins mentioned in an announcement that Hoffman “will get a possibility to shut video games for us” (relayed by Keegan Matheson of MLB.com). That means they’re planning to maintain the right-hander within the late innings. Hoffman had reportedly drawn curiosity from groups as a beginning pitcher.
Hoffman, who turned 32 on Wednesday, returns to the group that drafted him greater than a decade in the past. The righty was Toronto’s first-round decide (ninth general) out of East Carolina in 2014. He was a high-profile beginning pitching prospect who landed amongst Baseball America’s High 100 prospects in every of his first three skilled seasons. Hoffman didn’t spend lengthy within the Toronto system. One yr after the draft, the Jays dealt him to the Rockies as a part of the return within the Troy Tulowitzki deadline blockbuster.
The early portion of Hoffman’s main league profession was a wrestle. Like many younger pitchers, he had a troublesome time at Coors Subject. Hoffman had an earned run common north of 6.00 over components of 5 seasons with the Rox. Colorado swapped him to the Reds for Robert Stephenson prematurely of the 2021 season. Stephenson and Hoffman had been every former prime prospects whose careers would take off after a transfer to the bullpen.
For Hoffman, that didn’t materialize immediately. He had a pair of respectable however unspectacular seasons in Cincinnati, combining for a 4.28 ERA over 66 appearances. He signed with the Phillies on a minor league deal popping out of Spring Coaching in 2023. Hoffman had the most effective two seasons of his profession in Philadelphia. He made the large league roster in early Could of the primary season and turned in 52 1/3 innings of two.41 ERA ball.
That efficiency made him a key piece of Rob Thomson’s leverage group heading into 2024. Hoffman posted even higher numbers throughout his second season at Residents Financial institution Park. He labored 66 1/3 innings with a 2.17 ERA whereas hanging out greater than a 3rd of opposing hitters. Over his tenure with the Phils, Hoffman turned in a 2.28 earned run common with a 33.4% strikeout share. He saved his walks to a modest 7.4% clip and held opponents to a .180/.249/.295 slash in 473 plate appearances.
Of the 97 relievers who’ve logged 100+ innings over the previous two seasons, solely 5 (Emmanuel Clase, Tanner Scott, Ryan Helsley, Kirby Yates and Tyler Holton) have a decrease ERA. Hoffman additionally ranks sixth in strikeout charge, trailing Aroldis Chapman, Josh Hader, Fernando Cruz, Kirby Yates, and A.J. Puk. He’s within the prime 10 in swinging strike share. The 6’5″ hurler has the stuff to match these outcomes. His fastball sits round 97 MPH on common. Hoffman mixes 4 pitches and has overpowered hitters with each the heater and his upper-80s slider.
That manufacturing earned him a contract commensurate with what most prime setup arms have made in latest offseasons. It’s an actual match for what Stephenson, final winter’s breakout free agent reliever, earned from the Angels. Joe Jiménez, Reynaldo López, Rafael Montero, Taylor Rogers and Clay Holmes all landed three-year offers that assured between $26MM and $38MM. Jordan Hicks signed for $11MM yearly however was in a position to safe a fourth yr from the Giants as he entered his age-27 season.
MLBTR ranked Hoffman because the #2 free agent reliever behind Scott. We predicted a four-year, $44MM deal. Whereas the AAV was correct, groups evidently had been unwilling to go to 4 years at that wage for what can be his age 32-35 seasons. Hoffman was reportedly hoping to land a deal just like the three years and $38MM that Holmes obtained from the Mets. He comes up a bit of bit shy of that, at the very least partly as a result of New York goes to offer Holmes a possibility to maneuver to the rotation.
Robert Murray of FanSided reported this night that Hoffman had been set to signal with the Orioles on a three-year, $40MM contract earlier than Baltimore took concern along with his throwing shoulder in the course of the bodily examination. Groups have completely different requirements for the damage threat that they’re prepared to tolerate. Baltimore has a repute for being significantly attentive to the bodily. Hoffman has not spent any time on the injured record during the last two years. He missed an excellent portion of the second half of 2022 due to a forearm concern. He did miss round two months attributable to a shoulder impingement early within the ’21 season as a member of the Reds.
The signing is probably some proof of a thaw in what has been a slow-moving reliever market. It’s the second straight day wherein one of many prime bullpen arms has come off the board, as Baltimore agreed to a $10MM cope with Andrew Kittredge final night time (after pulling out of the settlement with Hoffman). Scott stays unsigned and will land probably the most important reliever contract of the offseason by a good margin. Carlos Estévez, Yates and David Robertson are among the many subsequent group of back-end arms.
It’s Toronto’s greatest free agent transfer of the offseason. Their solely earlier signing had been a two-year, $15MM deal to convey Yimi García again to the group. Additionally they took on almost $100MM and purchased center reliever Nick Sandlin within the Andrés Giménez commerce. The Jays had the worst bullpen within the American League final season. They non-tendered Jordan Romano after an injury-plagued season for his or her former All-Star nearer. (Romano signed with Philadelphia as a key alternative for Hoffman.) The trio of recent bullpen pickups be a part of holdovers Erik Swanson and Chad Inexperienced as potential late-inning choices for John Schneider.
In accordance with RosterResource, Toronto’s luxurious tax quantity is as much as roughly $239MM. That places them inside a couple of million of the $241MM base threshold. The Jays narrowly dipped under the CBT line final season. They’d have to be prepared to exceed that marker in the event that they’re going to make a notable offensive improve past Giménez. The outfield is the largest concern on paper, whereas the Jays might additionally look to solidify a 3rd base place that at present contains a handful of younger, unproven infielders.
Jon Morosi of the MLB Community first reported that the Jays and Hoffman had been discussing a multi-year deal. FanSided’s Robert Murray reported the $6MM in bonuses, which Kiley McDaniel of ESPN specified. USA At the moment’s Bob Nightengale reported the signing bonus, whereas The Related Press had the wage construction.
Picture courtesy of Imagn.
