Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Jeff Hoffman (23) pitches in the ninth inning between the Cincinnati Reds and Toronto Blue Jays at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Sept. 3, 2025. Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Blue Jays Manager Reveals Whether or Not He Still Trusts Closer Jeff Hoffman

Originally posted on Toronto Blue Jays on SI
By Jeremy Trottier | Last updated Sep 11, 2025 4:00 PM ET

The Toronto Blue Jays have had a very strong 2025 campaign when it comes to their record and the production they have found from many of their key players. One of the names who was expected to produce highly coming into this season was reliever Jeff Hoffman, who signed a three-year deal worth $33 million this past offseason.

Unfortunately, he has not exactly found his stride over the course of this campaign. He has instead become somewhat unreliable, especially when factoring in his home runs allowed total. In 2024, he was an All-Star with a 2.17 ERA and only 0.8 home runs allowed per nine innings, but in 2025, he has produced a 4.76 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and allowed 2.17 home runs per nine innings.

Jeff Hoffman from 2022-24: 14 HR allowed

Jeff Hoffman this season: 15 HR allowed pic.twitter.com/MScsLGyFUP
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) September 11, 2025

This level of inconsistency is not what the Blue Jays were hoping for when bringing him in, and despite a relatively productive 9-7 record, he has just not been able to remain efficient with his pitches.

His save total is indicative that he is able to close many of the games he enters. But the problem is he has finished 54 games and has appeared in 65 where he has allowed those 15 home runs, so he has had his struggles throughout the year.

John Schneider Makes Statement About Jeff Hoffman

Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

Following another tough game by Hoffman on Wednesday against the Houston Astros, manager John Schneider discussed his season and what he believes the case was regarding the veteran's struggles.

According to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, he pointed to Hoffman's pitch deployment when he was asked about the inflated home run total, and followed it up by saying, "I still trust him. He's been throwing the ball really well and had one bad pitch tonight."

This is an interesting stance, and frankly, it can be backed up to some degree by Hoffman's strikeout and walk totals. But the problem is he's giving up runs at an extraordinary rate, predominantly by way of the longball which changes the course of games.

It will be intriguing to see how this pans out down the stretch for Toronto. In the postseason, it will be hard to turn to someone who could kill a game with just one pitch. While Hoffman has shown positive flashes throughout the year, there needs to be more consistency shown before he can be relied upon in high-leverage situations.