Philadelphia Phillies Star Reliever Could Change His Role Moving Forward

A Philadelphia Phillies reliever isn't being pursued by all teams for a role in the bullpen.

Aug 31, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jeff Hoffman (23) throws a pitch during the eighth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park. / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Philadelphia Phillies reliever Jeff Hoffman picked the perfect time to have the best season of his career.

In 2024, he earned his first All-Star trip as a versatile weapon for manager Rob Thomson coming out of the bullpen. He didn’t have traditional roles for his relievers, calling upon them at different points of the game.

That isn’t something all relievers can handle, but Hoffman thrived in the role.

Whether it was the fifth inning or ninth inning, he got the job done.

Across 68 appearances and 66.1 innings pitched, he recorded a stellar 2.17 ERA with 89 strikeouts. He recorded 10 saves and had an incredibly impressive 188 ERA+.

During his two-year tenure with the Phillies, Hoffman has turned into one of the best relief pitchers in baseball. He made 122 appearances with 118.2 innings pitched, recording an ERA of 2.28 with 158 strikeouts.

It has been a remarkable turnaround from earlier in his career when he was with the Colorado Rockies and Cincinnati Reds. Calling Coors Field and the Great American Ballpark home would be a detriment to any pitcher’s success.

However, Hoffman may not be long for the bullpen.

A report from ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel has been confirmed by Matt Gelb of The Athletic that there are teams in free agency who are interested in signing the versatile reliever and turning him into a starting pitcher again.

July 21, 2021 with the Reds is the last time he made a start in the Major Leagues.

This is a route his agency, CAA, has taken with their other pitchers previously.

Just last year, Reynaldo Lopez, after some time as a reliever, was signed by the Atlanta Braves and moved back into the rotation. The results were magnificent and teams could be looking for a similar outcome with Hoffman.

Another example of that would be Jordan Hicks, who was in the bullpen with the St. Louis Cardinals but signed with the San Francisco Giants and started the season in the rotation.

It makes sense for Hoffman to keep the door open, as it could expand the list of teams interested in signing him, which means a bigger contract and more money in his pocket.

That will help rehab his value if it was knocked down at all after a tough NLDS showing against the New York Mets.