The Phillies are staring at a bullpen problem, and the trade deadline is giving them a possible answer with a familiar face.
Brad Keller is likely finished for the 2026 season and could miss most of 2027 as well, and that only adds to the pressure on a relief group that has already seen Taner Banks, Jose Alvarado, and others struggle at times this year. Philadelphia needs help late in games, and according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the club “would love” to make a run at Toronto Blue Jays reliever Jeff Hoffman.
“They are in desperate need of a late-inning reliever, and would love to bring back Jeff Hoffman of the Toronto Blue Jays,” Nightengale writes.
That would be a reunion with a pitcher who was an All-Star for the Phillies in 2024, when Hoffman turned in a 2.17 ERA across 68 appearances. He’s now 33 and pitching for Toronto, where the numbers have not been nearly as sharp. This season, Hoffman has a 4.40 ERA in 46 games, and he also posted a 4.37 ERA in 2025 for the Blue Jays.
His postseason work has been shaky, too. Hoffman blew Toronto’s World Series chances in Game 7, and across his MLB postseason career with both the Phillies and Blue Jays, he owns a 4.35 ERA.
Even with those concerns, Hoffman still fits the kind of move Philadelphia could make. He’s under contract for $33 million over three years, which breaks down to $11 million per season, and he has one more year of control through 2027. That gives Toronto some leverage, but not enough to make him prohibitively expensive.
The Blue Jays could also take on more of the salary, though that would raise the trade price. However the Phillies structure it, Hoffman does not look like the kind of arm that would cost a fortune.
Nightengale’s reporting points to real interest from Philadelphia, and the combination of Hoffman’s contract and his uneven production in Toronto suggests the price may be manageable. With the August 3 deadline approaching, there’s a real chance Phillies fans could see Hoffman back in red.
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