It turns out former Phillies reliever Jeff Hoffman was very close to staying in the division.
Hoffman had agreed to a deal with the Atlanta Braves, according to a report from MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. The original terms of the deal, per Bowman, were for five years and around $45 to $48 million, but the contract was scrapped after Hoffman failed a physical with the Braves’ medical staff.
The Baltimore Orioles, according to a report from Robert Murray of FanSided on Friday night, also had a deal with Hoffman, but scrapped it after a physical revealed an issue with his right shoulder. Baltimore wanted to renegotiate the contract, but Hoffman ended up signing a three-year, $33 million deal with $6 million in incentives with the Toronto Blue Jays.
The original plan for the Braves was for Hoffman to reportedly get the chance to start with the expectation that the 31-year-old will be a full-time reliever by the end of the contract.
Atlanta had success in signing a reliever and turning him back into a starter last offseason when they inked Reynaldo Lopez to a three-year, $30 million deal. In 135 2/3 innings, Lopez went 8-5 with a 1.99 ERA.
Hoffman stayed off the injured list in his two great seasons with the Phillies, but missed significant time when he was with the Cincinnati Reds. He missed two months in 2021 with a right shoulder impingement and 2022 with right forearm stiffness.
The deal with Hoffman falling apart indicates that Atlanta will probably look to sign or trade for another starting pitcher this offseason. They lost Max Fried to the New York Yankees and Charlie Morton to the Atlanta Braves.
A reunion between Hoffman and the Phillies seemed unlikely after Philadelphia signed right-handed reliever Jordan Romano to a one-year, $8.5 million contract.
Hoffman was the club’s best reliever over the last two years. It will be up to Romano, Orion Kerkering and possibly Jose Ruiz and free agent signing Joe Ross to take down Hoffman and Carlos Estevez’s high-leverage innings from the right side.
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