The Twins finally landed the late-inning arm they had been chasing, agreeing to acquire reliever Jeff Hoffman from the Toronto Blue Jays ahead of Monday’s trade deadline, according to a league source who described the deal to The Athletic before it was announced.
Minnesota is sending pitchers Dasan Hill and John Klein, along with minor league infielder-outfielder Dameury Pena, to Toronto. The Blue Jays will also receive some international bonus pool cash.
The Twins are absorbing the rest of Hoffman’s 2026 salary, while Toronto will cover part of it in 2027.
For Minnesota, the move brings back a familiar name. The Twins first signed Hoffman to a minor-league deal in 2023, before his first breakout run as a reliever. That stint ended with the club optioning him to the minors in spring training, and Hoffman used an opt-out in his contract to leave for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Now the 33-year-old right-hander arrives with plenty of recent baggage, including the ninth-inning slider that Miguel Rojas turned into a Game 7, ninth-inning homer in the 2025 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. That blown save will stay attached to Hoffman’s record. But so will the bigger picture: he has shown he can be a high-end reliever when he’s right.
After two seasons and 158 strikeouts with Philadelphia, Hoffman signed a three-year deal with Toronto to become the Jays’ closer. He saved 33 games in 2025 and finished more games than any other reliever, even as home runs continued to be an issue. His 2026 season opened badly enough that Toronto moved Louis Varland into the ninth inning.
Once Hoffman lost the closer role, the season started to settle down. In June, he gave up just one earned run and posted a 0.75 ERA, working mostly in the seventh and eighth innings.
That’s the lane he may fit best in now. He can drive fans a little crazy, but the swing-and-miss stuff is real, and it gives the Twins another bullpen weapon as they push for their first postseason trip since 2023.
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