The Twins found the right-handed bullpen help they were chasing, and they paid up to get it.
Minnesota struck a deal with Toronto before the trade deadline for Jeff Hoffman, a familiar arm who once had a look with the club and now arrives as a proven late-inning weapon. The 56-57 Twins had been hunting for impact relief help, and Hoffman fits that bill far better than the lower-profile additions they’d already made in Tommy Nance and A.J. Minter.
Toronto, sitting at 52-60 after coming off a World Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers last year, moved from buyer to seller as its postseason chances faded. The Blue Jays sent Hoffman to Minnesota for left-hander Dasan Hill, right-hander John Klein and infielder Dameury Pena.
Hoffman was a big part of Toronto’s run to the Fall Classic, closing out World Series games against the Dodgers last October. This season, he has a 3.94 ERA, a career-low 2.49 FIP, and 75 strikeouts in 48 innings. His 14.1 K/9 jumps off the page, and it explains why Minnesota was willing to make a real prospect sacrifice to get him.
There’s also a little history here. Derek Falvey passed on Hoffman back in 2023, when the right-hander signed a camp spot with the Twins and posted a 3.60 ERA with an 8/3 K/BB in Grapefruit League play. Hoffman then went on to put up a 2.41 ERA and 2.57 FIP with the Phillies that season before making his first and only All-Star team a year later.
The fastball still has life, too. Hoffman averaged 97.1 mph on it in 2023 and is sitting at 96.5 mph now, though he’s using it less than ever, with his fastball usage down to 30%. He’s leaned more on a sinker and slider as he’s aged, and the results have kept him in high-leverage territory.
The Twins did not get Hoffman cheaply. Dan Hayes of The Athletic reported that Toronto included money to maximize the return, and the Blue Jays will take on the prorated portion of the $12.6 million Hoffman is owed the rest of this season, along with part of his $12.6 million salary next season.
That financial help is part of why Minnesota was able to keep the prospect cost from getting even steeper, though it still stings. Hill was Minnesota’s No. 7 prospect per MLB Pipeline, a 2024 second-round pick with loud stuff and shaky command. The 20-year-old lefty has a 5.80 ERA at High-A Cedar Rapids, but he has also piled up 77 strikeouts in 45 innings and can touch triple digits.
Klein and Pena round out the package. Klein, a Brooklyn Park native, has already made his big league debut this season and will now head north to join fellow Minnesotan Louie Varland in Canada. Pena, also 20, has posted a .735 OPS in 83 games across two Single-A levels this year.
For the Twins, the message is clear: they got the bullpen arm they wanted, and they were willing to move real talent to do it.
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