Philadelphia Phillies All-Star Predicted To Sign With Baltimore Orioles

The Philadelphia Phillies right-hander could make plenty of sense in two ways for the Baltimore Orioles.

Apr 22, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jeff Hoffman (23) reacts after the victory over the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

With reports indicating that the Boston Red Sox are interested in former Philadelphia Phillies reliever Jeff Hoffman, another American League East team could also be in play. 

In a recent prediction from Sports Illustrated's Will Laws and Nick Selbe, they predicted that Hoffman, an All-Star in 2024, would join the Baltimore Orioles next season. 

"A failed starter for the Rockies and Reds early in his career, Hoffman became an All-Star reliever for the Phillies in his two years in the City of Brotherly Love and produced many career-best marks in 2024, including strikeout rate (33.6%), walk rate (6%), ERA (2.17) and FIP (2.52). The season ended on a sour note as he took the loss in two of the Phillies’ three defeats to the Mets in the NLDS, but the former top-10 pick will nevertheless be aiming for a multi-year deal with an eight-figure salary on the open market—and reports indicate some teams may be looking to convert Hoffman back into a starter, as the Mets plan to do with Clay Holmes."

The Orioles are in a strange position regarding their pitching. Baltimore clearly needs an ace-caliber arm, and while Hoffman might not even be a starter, the idea of signing him could play in the Orioles' favor.

If the Phillies re-signed Hoffman, there doesn't seem to be much of a chance that he'd work as a starter. All indications point to him returning as a reliever, given the amount of depth and quality arms Philadelphia has in its rotation.

Baltimore, however, is still looking for another arm to add to its rotation. Hoffman has reportedly been interested in working as a full-time starter moving forward, and despite the uncertainties about that working out, perhaps the Orioles could view him as such.

Earlier in his career, he worked out of the rotation and didn't necessarily have the best stuff. In his defense, he's gotten much better over the past three seasons and really broke out during his time with the Phillies.

Going from a reliever to a full-time starter isn't an easy task. Whether that leads to injury concerns, reduced production, and not being able to throw more than 100-plus innings in a campaign, there's a reason why what Hoffman is looking to do isn't very common.

From that standpoint, Baltimore might decide to stay away. If the right-hander is willing to try it during Spring Training and see how it goes but returns to the bullpen if things don't go as planned, that could change everything for the Orioles.

At worst, Baltimore should expect to get a quality reliever, and at best, could be looking at a decent starter if his stuff plays at the level it can.