2025 Blue Jays Offseason Thread

[Boogie!]

Was there any official word on why the other teams passed on Hoffman? Weren’t other teams about to sign him first before they saw the medical reports and backed out?

Both the Baltimore Orioles and the Atlanta Braves declined to finalize deals with Jeff Hoffman last offseason because he failed his physical with both teams.

Reports indicated that the physicals flagged a shoulder issue on his throwing arm.

The Braves had reportedly offered a five-year contract worth between $45-48 million, with a chance to compete for a spot in the starting rotation. They backed out after his physical.

The Orioles had reportedly agreed to terms on a three-year, $40 million deal but pulled out after the shoulder concern was identified in his physical.

Phillies passed on signing Hoffman all together, after he received his offer from Toronto and decided that cost was not worth it to bring him back. Their GM Dumbrowski said in Spring Training in a response to a Philly reporter that they did not want to pay those dollars for Hoffman who was never a full-time Closer previously over the course of a 162 Game Season. Maybe he knew something the Jays front office did not, which was that Hoffman was not Closer Material and best suited as a Set Up Man.

Hoffman started off the season pretty clutch though. I remember talking about how awesome he was because of his wide assortment of pitches as a closer. For some reason he just started serving up meatballs as the season went on and completely lost command. I remember to start the season he seemed so confident and pinpoint with his location. Wasn’t afraid to throw strikes, but consistently locating his pitches. Again how can we not think his shoulder had anything to do with his failures this year.

[Randle McMurphy]

Was there any official word on why the other teams passed on Hoffman? Weren’t other teams about to sign him first before they saw the medical reports and backed out?

His shoulder was the issue although there was no real sign of that in year 1. Stuff wasn’t the issue for him.

I mean how does one explain the decline in his velocity throughout the season… he started off routinely throwing 96-97 on his fastball, to eventually throwing 95 at his best in the playoffs… how can we not think it’s related to whatever he was flagged for…

What decline? He averaged 96.5 on his fastball in 2025 and hit 96.7 MPH with his fastball just pitches before he blew the WS, his stuff wasn’t the issue throughout the season. His awful command was.

The guy was hanging sliders and throwing fastballs down the middle all season long. He wasn’t doing any of that the two previous seasons when he was one of the best RPs in baseball (while pitching through the same shoulder issue caught in the physical last winter).

[JN]

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It took me about until August to realize it was Hunter "Mense" and not Hunter "Pence". I don't remember them mentioning him until this year. Every time they mentioned his name on TV, I would think this is an odd position for Pence to take.

[JN]

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I will be disappointed if the blue jays don’t aim to have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball going into next season. No more of this bull with guys like little being your high leverage guys. Their bullpen better be full of dudes that are legit proven performers.

They paid big money to a "proven performer" out of the bullpen last year. We saw how that worked out when it really mattered.

Maybe add a guy or two of real quality to reduce your risk, but I wouldn't invest heavy money in relievers ever. Bullpens are too variable.

I'm of the same view. Doing an overhaul of a pen in free agency is really risky.
I want one high leverage guy to be brought in this offseason (maybe two), and then look to add at the trade deadline if needed.

With Hoffman, Garcia, Sandlin, Fisher, Fluharty, Yariel, Little (meh), we have enough pieces to complement a high end addition. And then use the deadline as necessary.

[JN]

I wish MLB free agency was more like NBA and NHL Free Agency, where everything pretty much gets wrapped up in a few days. Can we just get this thing rolling. At least a few names.

But that's the difference between a no-cap league versus a cap league, Especially the NBA where only a limited number of open salary spots exist.

[scuervo1]

I wish MLB free agency was more like NBA and NHL Free Agency, where everything pretty much gets wrapped up in a few days. Can we just get this thing rolling. At least a few names.

But that's the difference between a no-cap league versus a cap league, Especially the NBA where only a limited number of open salary spots exist.

You’re right. With no salary cap, players can afford to wait longer for the best offer. In a cap league, they have to sign before teams run out of space and money.

[polo007]

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[Michael Bradley]

Was there any official word on why the other teams passed on Hoffman? Weren’t other teams about to sign him first before they saw the medical reports and backed out?

His shoulder was the issue although there was no real sign of that in year 1. Stuff wasn’t the issue for him.

I mean how does one explain the decline in his velocity throughout the season… he started off routinely throwing 96-97 on his fastball, to eventually throwing 95 at his best in the playoffs… how can we not think it’s related to whatever he was flagged for…

Hoffman's fastball was crushed in 2025. That was the difference. There was not much difference in velocity between his 2024 and 2025 FB's. Also in 2023 when he was elite he used his slider 47.9% of the time, and it was unhittable. In 2025 he used his slider 29% of the time, and it was still by far his best pitch. My guess is they dialed down the slider usage to protect his arm (it's a very taxing pitch to throw that much) but it definitely hurt him going to his FB more.

The sad thing is, if the Jays get a closer this winter (and I think they will), then Hoffman probably bounces back big time in 2026 with reduced workload and stress in the 7th/8th inning. Unfortunately there's no way to turn back time and not give up a HR to the Dodgers version of 2015 Ryan Goins in the 9th inning of Game 7.

[polo007]

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[JN]

Breaking News - Jays looking at everybody! That being said I think we might get 2 of the top 10 free agents this year. It’s not going to be spending at the end of the period and paying tbe leftover names .. like a Justin Turner or Max Scherzer or Anthony Santande.

It’s better than being a Pirates fan .. or an expos fan which i was back in the day. Where the biggest FA signing they made was one off-season throwing a ridiculous contract at Graeme Lloyd a lefty reliever who wasn’t even that good.

[polo007]

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[And1Skip]

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[LoveMyRaps]

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YES PLEASE.

[COY0607]

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Man, I would not be comfortable giving that kind of term to a reliever, even someone as good as Diaz

[polo007]

With Edwin Díaz on the market, a perfect storm is brewing for the Mets to lose him - The Athletic

Díaz, who turns 32 in March, wants the same kind of deal he signed with the Mets in November 2022, according to a person briefed on his wishes – five years, $102 million. He opted out of the final two years and $38 million in the deal, and is certain to turn down the Mets’ one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer.

A team that comes hard at Díaz could very well come away with him. He wants to win. The Mets, for all their spending, do not win consistently. In Díaz’s seven seasons with the Mets, including the 2023 campaign he missed with a ruptured patella tendon, the deepest he has gone into a postseason was the 2024 National League Championship Series. His first three seasons before getting traded to the Mets were with the Seattle Mariners, who did not make the playoffs during his tenure.

The Blue Jays, according to people briefed on their activity, met with Díaz’s agents from Wasserman at the general managers’ meetings. That’s not necessarily a major development. This early in the offseason, teams express interest in pretty much every quality player.

Toronto, though, is targeting high-leverage relief as well as starting pitching, and it’s signaling a willingness to both spend big and lose draft picks if necessary. The Jays are open to sliding Hoffman to the eighth inning, and Hoffman almost certainly would accept such a move if the team acquired a more accomplished closer.

The rotation is the Jays’ bigger priority. They might prefer to spend the most heavily in free agency on a starter such as Framber Valdez, Dylan Cease or Tatsuya Imai and go with a less expensive closer such as Devin Williams or Robert Suarez. Mets people, though, were not surprised to learn of the Jays’ interest in Díaz. After what happened in the World Series, who would be?

If ever a team was to invest in a closer, it’s the one reeling from the trauma of Game 7, when Hoffman allowed Miguel Rojas’ first home run off a right-handed pitcher all season to tie the score in the ninth. The Jays lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 11 innings, 5-4.

An emotional response to that defeat in free agency would be understandable. Yet, the Jays are hardly the only team that might pursue Díaz. To pry him from the Mets, all it might take is one blowaway offer.

[Cyrus]

This is every year, Jays are in every market, but then end up with the likes of Anthony Santander, and Mad Max. We play all the markets.

[Harry Palmer]

This is every year, Jays are in every market, but then end up with the likes of Anthony Santander, and Mad Max. We play all the markets.

The hope is that last year raised our profile enough. With players and our owners, that both got a chance to see what winning looks like here. Though tbf I haven’t seen any data on how much more revenue we generated last year, but I assume it was considerable. And can I take a moment to acknowledge that the renovations…about which I had zero expectations and a pretty pessimistic outlook…managed to completely change the baseball experience in a positive way. I didn’t talk about it, but if I had it’d probably have been along the ‘lipstick on a pig’ vein. Whereas now, from everything I was hearing last year, we have one of the best baseball environments in the league. Baffled but impressed, and has a lot to do with what I hope potential free agents saw.

[Michael Bradley]

This is every year, Jays are in every market, but then end up with the likes of Anthony Santander, and Mad Max. We play all the markets.

Last season they were coming off a last place finish with Vlad on the final year of his contract. It wasn't a desirable landing spot. That has changed dramatically this winter. Whether it leads to free agent success remains to be seen, but they are in a much better bargaining position now.

[WuTang_CMB]

ya I think Jays are aggressive and attack early for this free agency season

[Mehar]

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Man, I would not be comfortable giving that kind of term to a reliever, even someone as good as Diaz

Makes the two of us. I would rather go with the Devin Williams, Suarez, or Fairbanks route, looking at 3 years and 40 million or so. Not comfortable paying any reliever over 100 million.