Hoffman earned the save in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Orioles, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning.

EDGE Analysis

Hoffman retired all three batters he faced, capping off a 10-pitch battle with Gary Sanchez to record a game-ending strikeout. The 32-year-old excelled in a shared closer role for Philadelphia last season, converting 10 of 13 save chances while posting a 2.17 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 89 strikeouts. Now in Toronto, he has the opportunity to thrive as the full-time closer for another playoff contender.

Hoffman gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning during Saturday's split-squad game against the Tigers.

EDGE Analysis

Signed in the offseason to be the Blue Jays' new closer, Hoffman has looked the part so far in camp, posting a 5:0 K:BB over three scoreless frames, and Jace Jung's single on Saturday was the first baserunner the right-hander had allowed. Hoffman recorded a career-high 10 saves last season for the Phillies, but he should smash that mark in 2025.

Hoffman on Wednesday confirmed that Baltimore and Atlanta backed away from pursuing him over concerns about his physical, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

EDGE Analysis

Speaking to reporters following his signing with the Blue Jays, Hoffman said he was surprised his physicals raised red flags about his right shoulder, adding that he feels healthy and the shoulder is a "non-issue." Based on the size of his contract, Hoffman should head into spring training as the favorite to be Toronto's closer after posting a 2.28 ERA and 158:35 K:BB over 118.2 regular-season innings across the last two seasons. If healthy, the righty has elite potential as a fantasy closer.

Atlanta had a contract in place with Hoffman that fell apart after he failed a physical, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Robert Murray of FanSided.com also reported previously that the Orioles had a three-year, $40 million deal in place with Hoffman that was nixed due to concerns over his right shoulder. It's not clear whether it was the shoulder which caused Hoffman's potential contract with Atlanta to fall apart, but it's a safe assumption. The righty has had two shoulder-related injured list stints during his career but has not experienced any known shoulder problems since 2021. Hoffman ultimately reached a three-year, $33 million deal with the Blue Jays which could get up to $39 million through incentives. He's slated to serve as Toronto's closer, but with Hoffman having a health red flag, fantasy managers might want to consider Yimi Garcia and/or Chad Green as a handcuff.

Hoffman signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the Blue Jays on Friday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

After bouncing between Colorado, Cincinnati and Philadelphia over his first nine years in the majors, Hoffman will reunite with the organization that originally drafted him back in 2014. The 32-year-old reliever is coming off the best statistical season of his career, as he reached the 10-save mark for the first time and finished the year with a 2.17 ERA and 0.96 WHIP over 66.1 innings. Now in Toronto, it's likely he receives a chance to unseat Chad Green as the team's go-to closer.

Hoffman is being pursued by some teams in free agency as a starting pitcher, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Hoffman, who turns 32 in January, broke out as a full-time reliever the last two seasons with the Phillies, posting a 2.28 ERA and 158:35 K:BB over 118.2 innings. He does have plenty of past experience as a starter and throws four pitches, so some clubs are intrigued by the possibility of giving him another shot to start. It's not clear what Hoffman's preference is -- or if he has one -- but he should be able to land a nice multi-year contract either way.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Hoffman didn't pitch in a simulated game Wednesday due to a stiff neck, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

EDGE Analysis

Thomson said holding Hoffman back was precautionary, adding that he expects the reliever to be "fine" for Game 1 of the NLDS on Saturday. Hoffman will be a high-leverage reliever for the Phillies this postseason following a regular season which saw him collect a 2.17 ERA and 89:16 K:BB over 66.1 innings.

Hoffman struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Thursday's 5-4 win over Atlanta.

EDGE Analysis

Both Hoffman and Carlos Estevez had gone two days without pitching, so it's unclear why Hoffman got the save chance in this outing. This was his fourth scoreless outing in a row, and he's allowed three runs over 9.1 innings across his last 11 appearances since a four-run meltdown at Seattle on Aug. 3. Hoffman hadn't logged a save since July 10, and it's unclear if this signals a changing in the bullpen hierarchy or not, though manager Rob Thomson is known to prefer a committee for closing duties. For the year, Hoffman has a 1.92 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 74:15 K:BB through 56.1 innings while adding 10 saves and 17 holds.

Hoffman earned his 17th hold of the season Friday against the Nationals, facing two batters and earning one popout and one strikeout.

EDGE Analysis

The Phillies have had a fluid approach to the ninth inning this season, though Hoffman at one point appeared to be moving into something close to a true closer's role, earning a save in fourth straight appearances from June 30 through July 10. He hasn't earned a save since then, though the Phillies as a team have just two in that time, with one going to Matt Strahm and the other to new acquisition Carlos Estevez. Estevez seems to be the committee leader at the moment, but he blew a save on Friday and has now allowed at least one run in four of his eight appearances for his new team, so there's no guarantee he gets the next chance.

Hoffman struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Wednesday to record his ninth save of the season in a 4-3 win over the Dodgers.

EDGE Analysis

Jose Alvarado was called upon to face Freddie Freeman and the heart of the Los Angeles order in the eighth inning, leaving the save chance to Hoffman. That's been the norm of late, as Hoffman has saves in four straight appearances since June 30, while Alvarado has only one save and one hold during that time. Hoffman's performance has earned him increased responsibility, as he hasn't walked a batter in over a month and has a 1.69 ERA, 0.56 WHIP and 13:0 K:BB over his last 10.2 innings. Manager Rob Thomson will play matchups in high-leverage spots with the left-handed Alvarado and the right-handed Hoffman, but the latter seems the better bet for saves heading into the All-Star break.