Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins explained why he traded reliever Jeff Hoffman to the Minnesota Twins ahead of the deadline.
The Blue Jays made six trades in the 48 hours ahead of the August 3 trade deadline at 6 p.m. ET, including a late trade just ahead of the deadline sending Hoffman to the Twins for three prospects and international bonus pool money.
Following the trade becoming official, Atkins explained why he made the move.
Ross Atkins Explains Jeff Hoffman Trade
Speaking to reporters after the trade was announced, Atkins explained why he traded Hoffman to Minnesota, despite the fact the veteran reliever was ticking upward as of late and helping the Blue Jays win games as they try to make a late-season playoff push.
“This is not the situation we wanted to be in, where we’re parting ways with Jeff Hoffman. We were given so much support that we didn’t have the pressure to do it if we weren’t able to get the return we felt made the most sense. It got across the line, where we felt it made too much sense for the organization. We would have certainly been pleased to have Jeff Hoffman tonight and next year, but that return and the shape of it made sense for us,” Atkins said (via MLB.com).
Hoffman still had one more year of control left on his contract with Toronto, paying him $12,666,667, a contract that the Twins will now inherit.
But even though he was pitching better as of late, the Blue Jays still felt the return was worth dealing the veteran away to Minnesota.
Blue Jays Got Good Return for Jeff Hoffman
In exchange for the next 1.5 seasons of Hoffman, the Twins sent the Blue Jays a package of three prospects, including LHP Dasan Hill, RHP John Klein, INF Dameury Pena, and international bonus pool money, a nice return for a reliever who has been up-and-down for Toronto since signing with them ahead of the 2025 season.
Still, while Hoffman has struggled overall, he has been better lately, and with him gone, it does leave a hole in Toronto’s bullpen.
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