Details of Jeff Hoffman’s medical concerns will give Blue Jays fans mixed feelings

The Toronto Blue Jays added some intrigue to a quiet offseason last week when they inked reliever Jeff Hoffman to a multi-year contract. The move makes sense as the club continues to rebuild one of the worst relief corps in the majors last year as Hoffman should be slated for a closer role, replacing the departed Jordan Romano.

What followed has given some Jays’ fans pause and could be a concern in the future. It has been reported that Hoffman was offered a more lucrative contract from the Atlanta Braves that got rescinded after a physical on the right-hander was flagged. While it doesn’t appear that he "failed" the physical per se, there was enough anxiety over the health of Hoffman’s shoulder that it caused team officials to return to the negotiating table with the veteran hurler, who they were considering using as a starter.

With at least two other teams in pursuit, Hoffman and his team began having more serious conversations with the Baltimore Orioles. The AL East power reportedly presented a three-year, $40 million contract to the 32-year-old, which carried a higher AAV than the Braves offer, but with less total money. When the O’s also expressed some consternation over the health of Hoffman’s shoulder, they decided to hash out a deal with the coveted reliever at a lesser price.

Blue Jays are definitely taking a high risk, high reward gamble with Jeff Hoffman deal

When these talks reached an impasse, the Blue Jays took advantage and signed Hoffman to a three-year, $33 million contract. Toronto’s front office did not share the same level of concern about his health. While the signing improved a Blue Jays winter that lacked splash, it left fans with mixed feelings and doubts.

The fact that both the Braves and Orioles continued to pursue Hoffman suggests that the potential shoulder issues aren’t chronic, they just caused his value to drop in their eyes. However, the Braves and Orioles put forth offers before the Jays entered the race suggesting that they were his third choice.

Hoffman has since expressed surprise at the two teams backing away from their initial offers and suggested that something on the MRI teams inspired the hesitation and withdrawal rather than the in-person physical. He has also made it known that he is going to use the whole situation with his shoulder as added motivation especially against the now division rival Orioles.

Clearly, Toronto was comfortable going forward with their offer. Hoffman is the centerpiece of the reformed bullpen. The 6’5 reliever was originally a Blue Jays first-round draft pick (ninth overall) in 2014 before being traded to Colorado in the Troy Tulowitzki deal.

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