After sending one of their best relievers to Toronto at last year’s trade deadline, the Blue Jays have returned the favor in 2026. Former All-Star closer Jeff Hoffman is heading to the Twins in exchange for prospects Dasan Hill, John Klein, and Dameury Pena according to The Athletic. Hoffman is under contract for next year as well at $12.67 million, a portion of which will be covered by Toronto.
Hoffman, 33, has a high ERA but everything else about him still looks like the elite reliever he was over
in Philadelphia. He has a 3.94 ERA that is artificially inflated thankto a .389 BABIP, but a 2.49 FIP provides a better insight into the type of pitcher he’s been. His 1.2 fWAR is 13th among relievers in baseball, while his 14.06 K/9 is second to only the Padres’ Mason Miller.
Most importantly, Hoffman brings elite strikeout stuff to a bullpen that, while improved, has really needed some swing-and-miss on the backend. His pitch mix is very Griffin Jax-esque, relying heavily on a slider that’s among the best pitches in baseball and a fastball with enough velocity to be dangerous. He’ll also mix in a splitter, primarily against lefties, that is also quietly pretty strong.
In return, the Blue Jays will receive pitching prospects Dasan Hill and John Klein, along with infielder Dameury Pena. Hill, 20, is the clear headliner of this group. He was the Twins’ second round pick in 2024 and had an excellent debut season in 2025, appearing on the back end of some Top 100s. The Twins moved him up to High A to start this season, but has struggled mightily to throw strikes. The stuff is there, but the lanky lefty has a very long way to go before he’s ready to face big leaguers. Hill was the Twins’ 12th-ranked prospect according to FanGraphs, while Klein slotted in at 35 and Pena at 49.
Manager Derek Shelton has a lot more tools to work with than he did this time last week. Hoffman should slot in as the team’s primary closer immediately, but I would still expect Yoendrys Gomez and Andrew Morris to have opportunities down the stretch. Those two have both been heavily used the past two months and, as we saw with both walk-off losses last weekend, have probably been a bit overexposed. Having Minter and now Hoffman solidifies what has quietly become a very solid group of relievers.
