Philadelphia Phillies fans are a loyal bunch, and they latched on quickly to the All-Star reliever they’ve had in their bullpen for the last two seasons.
Jeff Hoffman was once a highly-decorated prospect after the Colorado Rockies took him in the first round of the 2015 draft. But after a rough career in Colorado and Cincinnati, he landed in Philadelphia after unceremoniously being non-tendered before the 2023 season.
Then, Hoffman completely revamped his career pitching out of the bullpen for the Phillies. He compiled a 2.28 ERA across 118 2/3 regular season innings during his two Philadelphia seasons.
Now, though, Hoffman is one of the most coveted arms left in free agency, and there’s widespread belief that the next team that signs him might give him an opportunity to start again–something the Phillies likely don’t have the wiggle room to try.
On Thursday, Will Laws and Nick Selbe of Sports Illustrated predicted that Hoffman would land with the Baltimore Orioles, who could conceivably use the righty as either a reliever or a starter this season.
“Hoffman became an All-Star reliever for the Phillies in his two years in the City of Brotherly Love and produced many career-best marks in 2024, including strikeout rate (33.6%), walk rate (6%), ERA (2.17) and FIP (2.52),” the authors wrote.
“The former top-10 pick (will be) aiming for a multi-year deal with an eight-figure salary on the open market—and reports indicate some teams may be looking to convert Hoffman back into a starter, as the Mets plan to do with Clay Holmes.”
Baltimore lost ace Corbin Burnes to the Arizona Diamondbacks this winter and behind him, their 2024 rotation was a mess. So even though they’ve already signed Tomoyuki Sugano and Charlie Morton, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them make a play for Hoffman.
The Athletic projects Hoffman for three years, $36 million, a more than reasonable price for his services. It would hurt the Phillies to see Hoffman take a short drive down I-95 to play in another league, but at least they wouldn’t have to see too much of him.
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