Jeff Hoffman is officially out of a job (as the closer).
Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins announced to reporters on Friday that Hoffman has been removed from his role as the team’s closer. The Blue Jays will now go with a closer-by-committee while Hoffman pitches out of lower-leverage spots for the time being, per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com.
The righty Hoffman, 33, was an All-Star in 2024 with the Philadelphia Phillies before signing with the Blue Jays in 2025. Last season, Hoffman went 9-7 with a 4.37 ERA for Toronto with 33 saves in 40 total opportunities.
But Hoffman also had a very forgettable moment in Game 7 of the 2025 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He blew the save in the ninth inning by allowing Miguel Rojas to hit a game-tying homer as the Dodgers then went on to win in extra innings to claim the championship. Hoffman later had a very heartbreaking quote about his Game 7 failure.
Now in 2026, Hoffman has been even worse. In just 12 appearances for the Blue Jays thus far, Hoffman owns an ugly 7.59 ERA with a comical 2.06 WHIP and has already blown three saves for Toronto.
With Hoffman now having been pulled from the ninth inning, the Blue Jays will turn to some combination of Louis Varland, Tyler Rogers, and Braydon Fisher for spot save opportunities. Not much has gone right this season for Toronto otherwise either as they now sit at 10-14 on the year and have an absurd amount of money sitting on the injured list at the moment.
