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Jeff Hoffman's Contract with Toronto Blue Jays Contains Some Interesting Details

Hoffman, who comes with real medical concerns, has some interesting incentives baked into his contract with Toronto.
Brady Farkas|
Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jeff Hoffman (23) enters the game in the ninth inning against the New York Mets during game two of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park.
Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jeff Hoffman (23) enters the game in the ninth inning against the New York Mets during game two of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

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Toronto Blue Jays

Late last week, the Toronto Blue Jays came to a three-year agreement with free agent reliever Jeff Hoffman. The deal is worth $33 million with incentives that can take it higher.

Earlier in the offseason, there had been talk of Hoffman moving into a starting rotation role for some teams and the Atlanta Braves apparently saw that, at least for the portion of a deal, before Hoffman failed a physical.

Hoffman also failed a physical with the Baltimore Orioles over shoulder concerns, which means the Jays have now taken a significant risk in signing him.

On Monday, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN released Hoffman's contract structure, which allows for extra earnings should he transition into a starter North of the Border at any point.

Source: for all 3 years, Hoffman will get $500,000 bonuses for each of 60, 70, 80, and 90 IP. Allows for more upside if he’s stretched out.

At first glance, Hoffman appears to have the inside track on the closer's role in Toronto. Previous closer Jordan Romano left this offseason after being non-tendered and is now a member of the Phillies, where Hoffman just came from.

Hoffman made the All-Star Game in 2023 for Philly and has also pitched for the Colorado Rockies and Cincinnati Reds.

The Blue Jays are coming off a last-place finish in 2024, but after signing Hoffman and being named as a finalist for Roki Sasaki, there has been some positive momentum lately.

The team has also been linked to Alex Bregman and Anthony Santander this offseason.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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