The Atlanta Braves reportedly walked away from a five-year deal with Jeff Hoffman after the pitcher failed a physical, according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. Hoffman, a former Phillies reliever, was set to sign a contract worth approximately $45 to $48 million, but the Braves’ medical staff identified issues that led to the agreement being canceled.
The Baltimore Orioles also reportedly had a deal with Hoffman, as noted by Robert Murray of FanSided, but similarly scrapped it after a physical revealed concerns about his right shoulder. While Baltimore attempted to renegotiate, Hoffman ultimately signed a three-year, $33 million contract with $6 million in incentives with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Initially, the Braves planned to give Hoffman an opportunity to start, expecting him to transition into a full-time reliever later in the deal. This approach mirrored their success with Reynaldo López, who signed a three-year, $30 million deal last offseason and delivered an 8-5 record with a 1.99 ERA over 135 2/3 innings.
Although Hoffman enjoyed two healthy and productive seasons with the Phillies, his past injury history includes significant time on the injured list during his tenure with the Reds, missing two months in 2021 with a shoulder impingement and more time in 2022 with forearm stiffness.
With Hoffman no longer an option, the Braves are likely to explore other avenues for starting pitching this offseason, having lost Max Fried to the Yankees and Charlie Morton to free agency. A return to Philadelphia for Hoffman appeared unlikely, as the Phillies recently signed reliever Jordan Romano to a one-year, $8.5 million deal.
In Hoffman’s absence, the Phillies will rely on Romano, Orion Kerkering, and others, including Jose Ruiz and free-agent signing Joe Ross, to handle high-leverage innings previously managed by Hoffman and Carlos Estevez.
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