The Toronto Blue Jays added an All-Star to their bullpen on Friday by signing a former Philadelphia Phillies right-hander to a 3-year, $33 million contract.

The Toronto Blue Jays reportedly had a productive conversation with Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jeff Hoffman as the two sides work toward a deal.

After the departures of Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estèvez, the 23-year-old Kerkering is likely to see more high-leverage situations.

The Blue Jays and Cubs are circling Carlos Estevez in free agency as the relief pitcher market heats up post-Tanner Scott.

All-Star reliever Jeff Hoffman and the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a $33 million, three-year contract. The team announced the deal two days after his 32nd birthday.

In a statement, Jays general manager Ross Atkins said Hoffman will get a chance to close games, the role that Jordan Romano filled for most of the last four seasons.

Before the 2023 Major League Baseball season, Jeff Hoffman pitched in front of “half the league,” auditioning for a role. At that time, the 2014 first-round pick and former Shaker High School standout only earned a minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins, a franchise he never threw a pitch for in the majors.

Jurickson Profar, Pete Alonso, Alex Bregman and Carlos Estévez could still wind up with the Blue Jays even after they dropped $90 million on Anthony Santander.

Prior to signing with the Blue Jays, however, Hoffman reached a three-year, $40 million deal with the Orioles, but it fell through due to concerns with Hoffman’s physical, per MLB insider Robert Murray. Hoffman, 32, had his best MLB season with the Phillies in 2024, emerging as one of the league’s top bullpen arms.

The Blue Jays paid $11 million for a replacement-level player, because they thought it would help them get Roki Sasaki.

He was a secret weapon in 2023, a rising reliever in 2024 and will be one of the Phillies’ most important players in 2025. “It’ll be a fun task to handle,” Orion Kerkering thinks.

Ryan Burr was one of the best pitchers in the Toronto Blue Jays’ bullpen in 2024. This is Blue Jays Nation’s annual 40-man Roster Review, where we look at the players on the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster.