Cubs Could Make A Move For Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman

[Steve Drumwright]

While interleague play has knocked down a lot of the walls of a player being a better fit for one league over the other, sometimes a player just feels more comfortable in either the AL or NL.

Could that be the case for Toronto Blue Jays right-handed reliever Jeff Hoffman?

According to a report Saturday by Robert Murray of FanSided, the Chicago Cubs are among the teams interested in the Blue Jays' former closer. The Cubs entered Saturday as the top NL wild-card team. Hoffman finished an MLB-leading 59 games in 2025 with 33 saves, but did have issues down the stretch before becoming more reliable in the Jays' run to the World Series.

But this year, those troubles persisted and he lost his role as the closer. He entered Saturday with a 2.46 FIP (4.02 ERA) in 50 appearances and 47 innings. Hoffman has a walk rate of 8.1% and a strikeout rate of 35.2%, both career bests. He has five saves in nine chances, but none since May 23.

Hoffman is making $12.667 million this year and next year, but the Blue Jays are willing to move on from him with the team having never really been in contention this season and his erratic performance as a closer.

He had success in a setup role in two seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies as well as one of his two years with the Cincinnati Reds. He began his MLB career with the Colorado Rockies.

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[Forever92]

Good to see there's interest in Hoffman 

[Eat My Shatkins]

When you consider how uninspiring the return for Hoffman would likely be, I'd rather hang onto him.

The Jays will still be trying to compete next year and he is 1/3rd of what has become a pretty deadly late inning trio for them in the bullpen. He's 15th in overall reliever fWAR in all of MLB. If you include Miles as a reliever the Jays have 4 guys in the top 25 reliever fWAR, but Miles is likely a starter next season.

If they can dig up another high leverage reliever or two they could have one hell of a shut down bullpen next season.

[Stangstag]

10 minutes ago, Eat My Shatkins said:

When you consider how uninspiring the return for Hoffman would likely be, I'd rather hang onto him.

The Jays will still be trying to compete next year and he is 1/3rd of what has become a pretty deadly late inning trio for them in the bullpen. He's 15th in overall reliever fWAR in all of MLB. If you include Miles as a reliever the Jays have 4 guys in the top 25 reliever fWAR, but Miles is likely a starter next season.

If they can dig up another high leverage reliever or two they could have one hell of a shut down bullpen next season.

Personally think its time to move on from him regardless. He’ll never be appreciated by the fans here and this could possibly the last good stretch of games he’s able to put together.

If he finds success next year with a new team, that’s totally fine. 

Relievers are a dime a dozen and a different guy wont have the baggage/bad history here like Hoffman does.

[Forever92]

15 minutes ago, Eat My Shatkins said:

When you consider how uninspiring the return for Hoffman would likely be, I'd rather hang onto him.

The Jays will still be trying to compete next year and he is 1/3rd of what has become a pretty deadly late inning trio for them in the bullpen. He's 15th in overall reliever fWAR in all of MLB. If you include Miles as a reliever the Jays have 4 guys in the top 25 reliever fWAR, but Miles is likely a starter next season.

If they can dig up another high leverage reliever or two they could have one hell of a shut down bullpen next season.

Could keep Hoffman and trade Rogers instead? If he will get good return 

[Eat My Shatkins]

9 minutes ago, Forever92 said:

Could keep Hoffman and trade Rogers instead? If he will get good return 

I'm saying Keep Varland, Rogers and Hoffman, and try to build an elite shut down BP around them. It might not work, but I have more faith in that being a success than I would have faith in any return Rogers or Hoffman fetching becoming anything substantial.

[Spanky__99]

2 hours ago, Eat My Shatkins said:

When you consider how uninspiring the return for Hoffman would likely be, I'd rather hang onto him.

The Jays will still be trying to compete next year and he is 1/3rd of what has become a pretty deadly late inning trio for them in the bullpen. He's 15th in overall reliever fWAR in all of MLB. If you include Miles as a reliever the Jays have 4 guys in the top 25 reliever fWAR, but Miles is likely a starter next season.

If they can dig up another high leverage reliever or two they could have one hell of a shut down bullpen next season.

Certainly depends on the return, if it's underwhelming... f*** that!

[Spanky__99]

1 hour ago, Stangstag said:

Personally think its time to move on from him regardless. He’ll never be appreciated by the fans here and this could possibly the last good stretch of games he’s able to put together.

If he finds success next year with a new team, that’s totally fine. 

Relievers are a dime a dozen and a different guy wont have the baggage/bad history here like Hoffman does.

What does that matter, that's fans and social media, If you don't get a competitive return you hold, period.

 

[Forever92]

10 hours ago, Eat My Shatkins said:

I'm saying Keep Varland, Rogers and Hoffman, and try to build an elite shut down BP around them. It might not work, but I have more faith in that being a success than I would have faith in any return Rogers or Hoffman fetching becoming anything substantial.

Giving poor return Tigers got, yeah no sense trading Hoffman. We not getting nothing for him. Might as well build great bullpen for next season 

[John_Havok]

12 hours ago, Eat My Shatkins said:

I'm saying Keep Varland, Rogers and Hoffman, and try to build an elite shut down BP around them. It might not work, but I have more faith in that being a success than I would have faith in any return Rogers or Hoffman fetching becoming anything substantial.

I like this thought process unless the potential return on Hoffman is one that you just cant say no to. 

You then still have them at next years deadline if theyre in the same position as now, or you have a dynamic back of the pen that you actually want going into a playoff stretch.

The chance of injury variable or random reliever variance variable is the same in either scenario so thats not really a concern

[hanton]

Cubs can definitely use Hoffman, with Palencia still out they're currently running with Webb and our very own Butters.  I wonder if they'd give us Alcantara ?

 

[Sorrow]

The other consideration worth noting with Hoffman is his salary for next season at $12.33m or whatever. Would we be better as a team as a whole with him moved for say a teams 7-15 prospect or a young controllable piece who’s sitting as a AAAA player blocked but freeing up that say $11m after salary for a piece for next season.

[Brownie19]

13 hours ago, Stangstag said:

Personally think its time to move on from him regardless. He’ll never be appreciated by the fans here and this could possibly the last good stretch of games he’s able to put together.

If he finds success next year with a new team, that’s totally fine. 

Relievers are a dime a dozen and a different guy wont have the baggage/bad history here like Hoffman does.

I wouldn't say regardless, but I definitely think there will be several suitors willing to pay up for his services.  He's been dominant and there are like 3 teams selling.  

I agree there is value in keeping for next year, but we can find other solutions with the $12M he'd due.

[Abomination]

3 hours ago, hanton said:

Cubs can definitely use Hoffman, with Palencia still out they're currently running with Webb and our very own Butters.  I wonder if they'd give us Alcantara ?

 

I doubt they'd do Alcantara, but that would at least be somewhat intriguing.  Caple could also make some sense if we aren't eating any salary.  I kind of feel like I'd rather just keep Hoffman though.

[Spanky__99]

What do you guys think now after scraps we got for Gausman, lol

[Eat My Shatkins]

5 minutes ago, Spanky__99 said:

What do you guys think now after scraps we got for Gausman, lol

Haha, yep. I'm still in the keep Hoffman camp.

Good to give Gausman a shot at winning again, he deserves it. If he wasn't a pending FA I'd have wanted to keep him too.

[Terminator]

14 minutes ago, Spanky__99 said:

What do you guys think now after scraps we got for Gausman, lol

Hoffman could probably get us one of the Cubs top 120 prospects

[Forever92]

If Cubs wanted Hoffman he'd been in Gausman deal. I'm on the keep Hoffman side, build great back end of bullpen next year.

[John_Havok]

8 minutes ago, Forever92 said:

If Cubs wanted Hoffman he'd been in Gausman deal. I'm on the keep Hoffman side, build great back end of bullpen next year.

Not entirely. 2 teams make separate trades at the deadline quite regularly

[Brownie19]

2 hours ago, John_Havok said:

Not entirely. 2 teams make separate trades at the deadline quite regularly

The Jays and Cubs literally have already...