Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Closer job not guaranteed in 2026
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General manager Ross Atkins said Thursday that the Blue Jays aren't committed to using Hoffman as their primary closer in 2026, Rob Longley of The Toronto Sun reports.
Although he finished 2025 with a career-high 33 saves, Hoffman's first year in Toronto was met with struggles. He posted a 4.37 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over 68 innings during the regular season and, most notably, blew a save during Game 7 of the World Series. Atkins brought up Yimi Garcia (elbow) and Louis Varland as potential options to work the ninth inning next season instead of Hoffman and didn't rule out the possibility of acquiring someone in the offseason to fill the role.
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Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Blows save in Game 7
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Hoffman blew a save against the Dodgers in Game 7 of the World Series on Saturday, allowing one run on one hit while striking out two batters over 1.1 innings.
Hoffman entered in the eighth frame with the Blue Jays up 4-3. He got Tommy Edman to ground out to preserve the lead and then struck out the first batter he faced in the ninth, but Hoffman then served up a game-tying solo homer to Miguel Rojas. Over three World Series appearances, that long ball was the only run Hoffman yielded across 4.1 frames.
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Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Strikes out side in ALCS Game 7
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Hoffman secured the save after striking out three batters in a perfect ninth inning during Monday's 4-3 victory in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series against the Mariners.
Hoffman entered the matchup with just three outs standing in the way of a trip to the World Series, and he didn't mess around. He needed only 14 pitches to slam the door, striking out Leo Rivas, Dominic Canzone and Julio Rodriguez to help Toronto advance. Hoffman made four appearances during the ALCS, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out 10 over five innings of work.
Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Closes out game, series against NYY
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Hoffman earned the save in Wednesday's win over the Yankees in Game 4 of the American League Division Series. He allowed one run on two hits and one walk while striking out one batter over 1.1 innings.
Hoffman was the eighth and final arm to pitch in a bullpen game for the Blue Jays, and while he coughed up a run in the ninth, he ultimately closed the door to send Toronto to the ALCS. While Hoffman was charged with seven blown saves and took seven losses during the regular season, he has allowed just two earned runs in his last 14 appearances dating back to late August, converting all five of his save chances in that span.
Hoffman collected the save in Friday's 4-2 win over the Rays, allowing two walks but no hits over a scoreless frame. He did not record a strikeout.
Despite issuing two free passes, the Toronto closer wrapped the win on 25 pitches, 14 of which were strikes. This marks the first time Hoffman has walked multiple batters in an outing since Aug. 10, when he granted five free passes in a blown save against the Dodgers. Overall, the righty reliever now sports a 4.37 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 84:27 K:BB in 68 innings while converting 33 of 40 save chances.
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Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Collects 32nd save
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Hoffman earned the save in Sunday's 8-5 win over the Royals, allowing one hit and zero walks in a scoreless ninth inning. He did not record a strikeout.
Hoffman got the call to protect the Blue Jays' three-run lead in the ninth. He yielded a double to Mike Yastrzemski, but Hoffman closed things out by getting Bobby Witt and Vinnie Pasquantino to both ground out, and the win clinched the Blue Jays a spot in the postseason. Hoffman has had his struggles this season but has not given up a run in each of his last four outings. He has a 3.71 ERA and 1.24 WHIP across 26.2 innings while converting on 10 of 13 save opportunities since the All-Star break.
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Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Escapes with save
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Hoffman recorded two outs, both by strikeout, to earn a save against the Rays on Tuesday. He gave up a walk and a hit but was not charged with a run.
Hoffman entered a 6-4 game with a runner on third and one out in the ninth inning. The inherited runner scored on an RBI single by Brandon Lowe before Hoffman walked Junior Caminero, but the right-hander rallied to strike out the final two batters he faced. It was Hoffman's 31st save in 38 chances and his first conversion since Sept. 2. He's given up one run over his last 7.2 innings and now owns a 4.64 ERA with an 83:23 K:BB through 64 frames.
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Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Nabs win in 10th inning
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Hoffman (9-6) worked a perfect 10th inning Tuesday to pick up the win in a 4-3 victory over the Astros. He didn't walk or strike out a batter.
The Toronto closer was aided by an impressive defensive play by Vladimir Guerrero that erased the phantom runner, Jose Altuve, at third base for the first out, but Hoffman fired eight of 10 pitches for strikes in an efficient performance before Toronto won it in the bottom of the 10th. Hoffman's had a roller coaster of a season that includes serving up a stunning 14 homers in just 61.1 innings, but he may be finding his peak form at the right time for the Jays -- he's delivered five straight scoreless appearances, allowing three hits and a walk in five innings with three strikeouts.
Hoffman gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday to record his 30th save of the season in a 12-9 win over the Reds.
The erratic closer allowed a one-out single to Sal Stewart but otherwise had little trouble dispatching the bottom half of Cincy's batting order. Hoffman has blown three of eight save chances since the beginning of August while stumbling to a 5.54 ERA, 1.69 WHIP and 15:9 K:BB over 13 innings, but with most of the Blue Jays' overextended bullpen looking shaky right now, his ninth-inning role doesn't appear to be in jeopardy.
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Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Hurt by long ball again
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Hoffman (8-6) took the loss Saturday, coughing up three runs on three hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning as the Blue Jays were downed 4-1 by the Brewers.
Called in for the top of the ninth inning in a 1-1 tie, Hoffman instead served up back-to-back homers to Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich before Isaac Collins added an RBI double. The long ball remains Hoffman's bugaboo this season -- he's been taken deep 14 times in 56.1 innings, leaving him with a 5.11 ERA, and he's given up two homers twice in his last three appearances.
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Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Rebounds for 29th save
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Hoffman earned the save in Wednesday's 9-8 win over the Twins, allowing a hit while striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning.
The Twins threatened in the ninth inning when Luke Keaschall doubled with two outs. However, Hoffman coaxed a groundout off the bat of Brooks Lee to preserve the one-run victory, picking up his 29th save this year. It was a much-needed bounce-back effort from the right-hander -- Hoffman had blown his previous two save opportunities and gave up four runs on a pair of homers in his last appearance Tuesday. Overall, the 32-year-old Hoffman sports a 4.69 ERA with a 1.13 WHIP and 75:19 K:BB across 55.2 innings this season.
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Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Blows save, takes loss
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Hoffman (8-5) yielded four runs on three hits and a walk while taking a loss against the Twins on Tuesday. He recorded two outs and was charged with a blown save.
Hoffman served up a leadoff homer to Mickey Gasper to immediately blow the save opportunity. Matt Wallner then ripped with a three-run shot to put the game out of reach. It's the first time Hoffman has given up more than one run in an outing since he coughed up three runs against the Athletics on July 11. Since then, he had posted a 1.84 ERA over 15 appearances. Hoffman has blown three of his last five save chances and has converted 28 of his 35 chances this season. His ERA jumped to 4.77 through 54.2 innings after Tuesday's rough outing. If his struggles continue, Brendon Little or Yariel Rodriguez could be in line to see some ninth-inning work.
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Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Blows sixth save
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Hoffman was charged with his sixth blown save of the season Saturday, giving up one run on one hit and one walk in the ninth as the Blue Jays downed the Marlins 7-6 in 12 innings. He struck out one.
Called upon to protect a 4-3 lead, Hoffman issued a leadoff walk to Eric Wagaman, setting Javier Sanoja up to tie the game with a one-out single. It's the first run Hoffman has allowed in August, but he's blown two of five save chances on the month despite a 1.04 ERA in 8.2 innings thanks to a 12:7 K:BB. He remains two saves shy of his first career 30-save campaign.
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Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Secures 28th save
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Hoffman earned the save in Friday's 5-2 win over the Marlins, allowing one walk without recording a strikeout in a scoreless, hitless ninth inning.
Hoffman was called upon to protect a three-run lead in the ninth and worked around a two-out walk to slam the door. Aside from an ugly blown save Aug. 10 in which he issued five walks, the 32-year-old has now strung together nine straight scoreless outings. On the year, he's 28-for-33 in save chances with a 4.08 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 73:17 K:BB across 53 innings.
Hoffman (8-4) was credited with the win Friday in a 6-5 victory over the Rangers, striking out the side in a perfect ninth inning.
The Blue Jays rallied for four runs in the bottom of the eighth to take their first lead of the game, but the official scorer elected to give Hoffman the win instead of the save after he cruised through the top of the ninth on 11 pitches (nine strikes). After a brutal five-walk performance against the Dodgers on Aug. 10 that came after a week-long layoff, Hoffman has been absolutely dominant, recording eight of his last nine outs via strikeout and allowing only one hit in three scoreless frames.
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Blue Jays' Jeff Hoffman: Locks down 27th save
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Hoffman earned the save in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Cubs, allowing a hit while striking out three in the ninth inning.
Hoffman worked around Nico Hoerner's one-out single, striking out the final two batters he faced, to earn his 27th save this season. After issuing five walks in just two-thirds of an inning during his last save chance, Hoffman has responded with back-to-back scoreless appearances, allowing just one hit over 1.2 innings. His ERA sits at 4.32 through 50 innings this season with a 1.10 WHIP and 69:16 K:BB.
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