Toronto Blue Jays Star Closer Receiving Consideration for All-MLB Team
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The Toronto Blue Jays made several major additions to their roster this past offseason during free agency.
Their largest commitment was made to All-Star right fielder Anthony Santander, who was poached away from their American League East rivals, the Baltimore Orioles.
The two sides agreed to a five-year, $92.5 million deal that could be worth as much as $110 million over six seasons with a team option included at the end.
Future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer was the biggest name who was signed, agreeing to a one-year, $15 million deal.
Neither of those players has found their groove with the Blue Jays yet, with Santander being one of the biggest disappointments over the first month of the season and Scherzer landing on the injured list after pitching only three innings in his debut.
Alas, not the entire free agent haul for Toronto has been a bust.
Carrying the load for the group has been relief pitcher Jeff Hoffman, who signed a three-year, $33 million deal to leave the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Blue Jays weren’t his first choice in free agency, or even his second.
Deals with the Atlanta Braves and Orioles reportedly fell through because of concerns with his physical when he met with the franchises.
But their loss has been Toronto’s gain, with Hoffman performing at an incredibly high level through the first month of the 2025 campaign.
Over the last two seasons with the Phillies, where he was deployed as a full-time reliever, he took his game to another level. He was an All-Star in 2024, becoming one of the most reliable bullpen arms in baseball.
Thus far, Hoffman has built upon that success and taken things up another notch with the Blue Jays. Through 12 appearances and 13.1 innings, he has a 1.35 ERA with 19 strikeouts and six saves.
That dominating performance has led to him receiving votes for the All-MLB Team, as shared by Jason Foster of MLB.com.
Justin Martinez of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Felix Bautista of Baltimore also received votes.
Making the First-Team were Mason Miller of the Athletics and Josh Hader of the Houston Astros. The Second-Team consisted of Andres Munoz of the Seattle Mariners and Robert Suarez of the San Diego Padres.
Already with a 0.9 WAR, Hoffman has put himself in a position to have the most productive season of his career with the hot start and is deserving of the All-MLB Team consideration.
