Former Philadelphia Phillies All-Star Pitcher Reportedly Failed Second Physical
The Philadelphia Phillies officially moved on from relief pitcher Jeff Hoffman last week when it was announced that he signed a multi-year deal with the Toronto Blue Jays.
It was a contract that he certainly earned with his performance on the mound as he turned into one of the best relievers in baseball during his two-year stint with the Phillies after underwhelming stints with the Colorado Rockies and Cincinnati Reds to begin his career.
A starter at first, he suffered from calling Coors Field and Great American Ballpark home for the first seven seasons of his career. Even the greatest pitchers would struggle in those conditions, but he started to show signs of improvement in 2022 when he shifted to the bullpen.
What progress began with the Reds, Philadelphia took to another level in 2023 and 2024.
Hoffman was dominant, making 122 appearances while throwing 118.2 innings and recording a 2.28 ERA. He struck out 158 batters, as he was among the best relievers in baseball in 2024, earning a spot on the All-Star team.
It certainly seemed odd that the Phillies were so willing to let him go after two great years. Many thought that his price tag was what made the team wary, and it certainly could have played a part.
His deal with the Blue Jays currently places him inside the top 10 for AAV in 2025, a steep price to pay with six relievers already among the top 100 highest-paid.
However, another reason for their hesitancy to sign him to a long-term deal could have emerged; his long-term health.
According to reports, Toronto was able to land Hoffman only after he failed a physical with the Baltimore Orioles, who had a three-year, $40 million deal in place with the All-Star.
Alas, the Orioles weren’t the only franchise to flag an issue with his physical. According to Mark Bowman, a beat writer for the Atlanta Braves at MLB.com, Philadelphia’s NL East rivals also had a potential deal in place that fell apart because of a failed physical.
It is certainly within the realm of possibility that the Phillies also weren’t comfortable with some of Hoffman’s medicals and were okay with him testing the market as a result.
Only time will tell if the team made the right decision allowing him to walk in free agency.
To help offset his loss, Philadelphia did sign Jordan Romano earlier in the offseason. He was non-tendered by the Blue Jays, as the two squads ended up swapping high-leverage relievers via free agency.