The Philadelphia Phillies bullpen has collapsed during the season’s opening month, leaving fans questioning why the team didn’t retain Jeff Hoffman, who signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. Dave Dombrowski, Phillies president of baseball operations, recently addressed the situation head-on.
Through 25 games, Philadelphia’s relief corps ranks among baseball’s worst — 25th in WHIP (1.53), 29th in ERA (5.56), last in batting average allowed (.283), and first in blown saves (7). The front office signed Jordan Romano, who was non-tendered by Toronto following an injury-plagued 2024, to fill Hoffman’s high-leverage role.
Romano’s acquisition has backfired spectacularly. The former two-time All-Star carries a 13.50 ERA across 10 appearances, surrendering 13 earned runs in just 8⅔ innings.
Meanwhile, Hoffman is thriving north of the border, posting a 1.59 ERA in 10 games with 16 strikeouts in 11⅓ innings and five saves.
Prior to Wednesday’s loss to the New York Mets, Dombrowski explained to reporters, including MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, their unsuccessful pursuit of Hoffman.
“We tried to sign Hoffman, very aggressively,” Dombrowski said. “They turned down our offer. At the time, he was still looking for more dollars, and then we had to make a decision on Romano or somebody else. We just didn’t feel that we were going to match the dollars that he was looking to get. But we were very aggressive in terms of signing him.”
“I can’t tell you that the number he ended up signing was substantially different than the one we ended up offering. But he wasn’t prepared to take that at that time. They just thought they were going to get much more.”
With the pivot to Romano, Hoffman’s two-year Philadelphia tenure ended — a stretch where he transformed his career and earned his first All-Star selection in 2024. Now Phillies fans must watch him excel in Toronto while their bullpen falters.
