The Philadelphia Phillies were one of the top teams in the league during the 2024 season, but they stumbled when the postseason arrived. Fortunately, the team has just two free agents to deal with this winter: Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez. While the Phillies are in need of bolstering their bullpen, it’s concerning that both of their free agents are relievers. Currently, the Phillies lack a dominant closer, although they do have some solid arms for the backend of the bullpen. Strengthening their relief pitching should be a top priority. CBS Sports’ R.J. Anderson recently predicted that the Phillies will re-sign All-Star reliever Jeff Hoffman this winter, with Hoffman expected to secure a $36 million deal, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
“The top of the relief market has yet to thaw out,” Anderson wrote. “It doesn’t help that some teams have approached Hoffman with the intent of starting him, making this a little less straightforward of a situation than it appeared back in November. I’ll take the coward’s way out and predict that the Phillies retain him — as a reliever.”
Hoffman has been outstanding for the Phillies during his two seasons with the team, posting ERAs of 2.41 in 2023 and 2.17 in 2024. While his overall WAR for his seven-year MLB career stands at a modest 0.0, Hoffman has contributed 3.9 WAR in his two years with Philadelphia. Given his strong performance, it makes sense for the Phillies to bring him back, but the question remains: can they get the deal done?
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