Former Phillies reliever Jeff Hoffman was on the verge of staying within the division but ultimately saw his deal fall apart. According to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, Hoffman had reached an agreement with the Atlanta Braves for a five-year contract worth around $45 to $48 million. However, the Braves scrapped the deal after Hoffman failed a physical examination with their medical team.
In addition to Atlanta, the Baltimore Orioles were also in talks with Hoffman. According to Robert Murray of FanSided, the Orioles backed out after a physical revealed concerns with his right shoulder. Although Baltimore sought to renegotiate the terms, Hoffman ultimately signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, including $6 million in incentives.
The Braves’ initial plan for Hoffman was for him to start games, though the expectation was that he would transition into a full-time reliever by the end of his contract. This strategy mirrored the Braves’ success from the previous offseason when they turned Reynaldo Lopez into a starter after signing him to a three-year, $30 million deal. Lopez ended the season with an impressive 1.99 ERA over 135 2/3 innings.
Hoffman had been relatively healthy during his two seasons with the Phillies but had dealt with significant injuries during his time with the Cincinnati Reds. He missed two months in 2021 with a right shoulder impingement and spent part of 2022 sidelined due to right forearm stiffness.
With Hoffman’s deal falling through, the Braves are expected to seek another starting pitcher to fill the gap left by Max Fried, who joined the New York Yankees, and Charlie Morton, who left for the Philadelphia Phillies. A reunion between Hoffman and the Phillies became unlikely after they signed right-handed reliever Jordan Romano to a one-year, $8.5 million deal.
Hoffman had been one of the Phillies’ most reliable relievers over the past two seasons, leaving it to Romano, Orion Kerkering, Jose Ruiz, and new acquisition Joe Ross to step up and handle high-leverage innings from the right side of the bullpen.
