Braves balking on Jeff Hoffman deal looks like a mistake

The Braves rotation and lineup should improve with Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuna Jr. returning, but there’s no superstar reliever returning from injury to improve the bullpen.

Alex Anthopoulos watched A.J. Minter and Joe Jimenez, the club’s top relievers behind Raisel Iglesias, walk in free agency and undergo knee surgery without replacing them. It looks like a grave mistake, but it’s not like Atlanta’s GM didn’t try at all.

Mark Bowman reported that Jeff Hoffman and the Braves had a deal in place, but a flagged physical led to Hoffman eventually signing with the Blue Jays. The Braves beat reporter then went on to say the deal was for five years and nearly $50 million.

“A source said the Braves had a potential deal that was nixed when Jeff Hoffman failed his physical,” Bowman wrote. ”Hoffman also reportedly failed a physical with the Orioles before signing a three-year, $33 million deal with the Blue Jays.

Another source said the Braves deal with Hoffman would have been a five-year deal worth $45-48 million. The right-hander could have been given a chance to start before spending his final years of the deal as a reliever.”

Hoffman was coming off an All-Star campaign in 2024 with the Phillies, posting a 2.17 ERA over 68 appearances. Dating back to the start of the 2023 season, Hoffman has recorded a 2.28 ERA and 2.54 FIP over 118.2 innings.

The Braves were reportedly interested in trying Jeff Hoffman out as a starter, much like Reynaldo Lopez did last year. Whether he ended up in the rotation or the bullpen, the Braves could desperately use an arm like Jeff Hoffman.

With the Blue Jays, the veteran owns a minuscule 0.96 ERA across 9.1 innings, notching three saves. His 0.54 FIP and 0.643 WHIP are even more impressive. That would be a nice addition to the Braves bullpen, which has been among the worst in baseball. Atlanta’s relief core currently boasts a 4.44 ERA collectively, good for 24th in baseball and -0.5 WAR, which ranks 25th.

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