The Toronto Blue Jays kept the 2026 trade deadline moving on Monday, and Jeff Hoffman is the latest name out the door.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Toronto is sending the veteran reliever to the Minnesota Twins. Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reported that the Blue Jays are getting left-handed pitcher Dasan Hill, right-handed pitcher John Klein, and infielder Dameury Pena in return.
Hoffman had been one of the Blue Jays players drawing trade interest, and Toronto eventually chose to move on after giving him another shot at the closer job. He opened 2026 in a shaky stretch, and Louis Varland ultimately stepped in as the team’s closer.
The 33-year-old leaves Toronto with a 3.94 ERA across 51 appearances. He also put together a strong July, giving up just two earned runs while striking out 14. For Minnesota, he brings another experienced arm to the bullpen.
His time in Toronto included a major role in the club’s run to the World Series, though plenty will still remember the game-seven home run he allowed to tie the Fall Classic. A fresh start may be exactly what Hoffman needs.
Toronto did well on the return, too. Hill is Minnesota’s seventh-ranked prospect, while Klein checks in at No. 17 in the system.
And Hoffman’s deal is just one part of a frantic deadline day for Ross Atkins and the Blue Jays. Toronto has already moved Daulton Varsho, Kevin Gausman, and Adam Macko, along with several prospects, while bringing in Spencer Arrighetti, Jose Soriano, and Josh Smith. On a day full of action, this one only added to the volume.
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For Minnesota, the bigger picture is what these rankings say about the depth beneath the obvious top names. Emmanuel Rodriguez is still in the mix as a player whose ceiling keeps the system interesting, while the continued turnover near the top shows the Twins are no longer just waiting on one wave of talent. The question now is how many of these prospects can become part of the next core together, and how quickly that core starts to look more like the present than the future. [Read more 🡒]