Promising Blue Jays signing continues to look worse thanks to latest Braves rumor

When the Toronto Blue Jays signed Jeff Hoffman to a three-year deal worth $33 million, there was very little that even the harshest Ross Atkins critics could say in a negative light.

Hoffman, a former Jays first-round pick, was one of the best relievers in the National League in his two seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies. He was being brought to Toronto to help improve a bullpen that was among the league's worst in 2024. The three years might've been one too many for a 32-year-old reliever, but the AAV was very reasonable if not team-friendly, and the Jays notably got a player to sign the dotted line without overpaying.

Blue Jays fans' optimism took an immediate hit when FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray reported that Hoffman only signed with the Blue Jays after failing a physical with the Baltimore Orioles. As concerning as it is to sign a pitcher to a three-year deal after failing a physical, there were reasons to give the Blue Jays the benefit of the doubt.

First, the Jays have had a decent amount of success keeping pitchers healthy. They had three starters make more than 30 starts this past season, one of a select few teams to accomplish that feat. They would've been the only team with four starters making at least 30 starts had they not traded Yusei Kikuchi. They've had three straight seasons of having at least three starters make at least 31 starts. Relative to their peers, they've done a good job keeping pitchers healthy, so it's fair to trust what they see on a physical.

Second, nothing really suggested Hoffman is an injury risk. He has not landed on the IL a single time since making the move to full-time reliever, and that's how the Jays plan on using him. One team flagging Hoffman's physical, while somewhat concerning, didn't seem like the worst thing in the world.

Now, a report from MLB.com's Mark Bowman notes that a second team, the Atlanta Braves, also backed out of a potential deal with Hoffman due to a failed physical. Yeah, it might be time to panic.

Jeff Hoffman signing looks a lot riskier after a second failed physical was revealed

It's one thing for the Jays to sign Hoffman after one failed physical. Doing so on a three-year deal after two failed physicals feels like a major risk, though.

Two teams liked Hoffman enough to want to sign him, presumably for more money than the Jays wound up guaranteeing him. Both of those teams, which happen to need pitching, passed on him due to medical concerns. One team may be wrong, but how likely is it that both the Braves and Orioles are wrong when it comes to Hoffman, but the Blue Jays are right? What did the Jays see that the other two did not?

If healthy, there's no denying that this is a great move for Toronto. Again, Hoffman has pitched like one of the best relievers in the National League in each of the last two seasons, and is signing with a Jays team that desperately needed a closer. It's also possible that the other teams could be wrong.

Injury concerns are real with any pitcher, but they're much scarier with pitchers who have shaky medicals. The value of this deal is excellent if Hoffman can stay healthy, but how can Jays fans realistically expect that knowing two teams were nervous enough to back out of potential agreements?

Could the Jays not have negotiated this deal down a bit more? It's a lot harder to get out of a failed three-year deal than it is to get out of a one or two-year commitment.

All offseason, we've heard how desperate the Jays are to make moves. Signing a pitcher who is great when healthy but had a rough enough physical for two teams to pass on potential agreements screams desperation. What looked like one of the best value deals of the offseason now can be seen as one with major boom or bust potential for a team that really can't afford the latter.