Closing time for Blue Jays with signing of elite reliever Jeff Hoffman

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It’s not even mid-January yet, but it’s closing time for Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins.

A slow off-season for the team switched gears in a hurry on Friday night when the team announced it has agreed to terms with right handed pitcher Jeff Hoffman on a three-year deal worth $33 million U.S.

The acquisition of the 32-year-old one-time Jays first-round draft pick adds an immediate high-end arm to the rebuilding bullpen as the team continues to shore up its defence. And with that comes big expectations for a right-hander widely regarded as one of the top pitchers in the game last season.

“We are excited to add Jeff to our bullpen,” Atkins said in a statement. “His arsenal. His strike thrown and ability to miss bats against all types of hitters is elite and undoubtedly will make us better.”

How much do the Jays expect Hoffman to impact the bullpen in 2025? Atkins made it clear that expectations are that he will step in as the replacement for closer Jordan Romano, who was not tendered a contract and was subsequently signed by the Philadelphia Phillies.

“Jeff will get an opportunity to close games for us this season,” Atkins said. “His track record, competitiveness and experience make him a great complement to this group.

“We look forward to welcoming him, his wife Marissa and their children Tytan, Houstyn, Jetsyn and Lennyn to Toronto.”

Based on his most recent form, Hoffman seems a logical candidate to be the ace of the bullpen. In 2024, he posted a 2.17 ERA across 68 appearances for the Phillies, a performance stellar enough to earn him his first All Star honours. The righty struck out 89 batters and walked 16 over his 66.1 innings of work, leading to a 0.96 WHIP while holding opposing hitters to a .197 batting average.

Hoffman has some familiarity to the Jays organization after being selected ninth overall by the team in the 2014 draft. He was dealt to the Rockies the following summer and made his big league debut with that organization in 2016. That deal with the Rockies, by the way, was a notable transaction in recent Jays history in that it brought shortstop Troy Tulowitski to Toronto and helped spur a surge to a playoff berth in that memorable 2015 season.

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A native of Latham, N.Y., Hoffman has appeared in 256 career MLB games (starting in 50) between the Rockies, Cincinnati Reds and Phillies.

To make room for Hoffman on he roster, the team has designated right-hander Brett de Geus for assignment.

After a mostly quiet winter, Atkins certainly made a splash with the acquisition of Hoffman, one of the top relievers available in free agency. Combined with bringing Yimi Garcia back to the bullpen (via free agency) and acquiring elite second baseman Andres Gimenez (via trade with the Cleveland Guardians) the Jays are a much better defensive team than they were at the end of the last-place 2024 season.

Of note, the $33 million financial outlay is the most Atkins and team president Mark Shapiro have spent on a reliever in their tenure with the organization. The front office made a decision to walk away from Romano, who was recovering from elbow surgery and due to make $7.5 million in pre arbitration figures.

With Hoffman as the probable closer, the Jays bullpen is starting to shore up nicely. Garcia, Chad Green and Erik Swanson (who was pitching much stronger late in 2024 after an awful start to the year) provide manager John Schneider with an array of late-inning options.

Now about the need for a bat or two to give the new guy at the back end of the bullpen a lead to protect …