Jeff Hoffman will pitch for the Twins in 2027, but the Blue Jays are still paying part of the bill. That's the lingering cost of a trade that closed a painful chapter.

Toronto agreed to cover $3.75 million of Hoffman's $11 million salary for next season, according to Blue Jays Nation. The Twins pick up the rest.

The Jays also owe a $1.7 million installment on his signing bonus, per FanGraphs.

That money follows a closer forever tied to Game 7 of the 2025 World Series. With Toronto up 4-3 and one out in the ninth, Miguel Rojas hit a 3-2 slider over the left-field fence.

The Jays had a 91.3% chance to win before that swing, according to CBS Sports. The Dodgers won 5-4 in 11 innings.

“Was just one pitch. I cost everybody here a World Series ring,” Hoffman said afterward.

Jeff Hoffman's post-June surge set up the Dasan Hill trade

His 2026 started badly. He posted a 6.31 ERA in April and May and lost the closer's job to Louis Varland on April 24.

Then he turned it around. After June 1, he posted a 1.21 ERA with 30 strikeouts over 22.1 innings.

Toronto sold high at the deadline. The return was three prospects, headlined by Minnesota's No. 7 prospect, Dasan Hill.

Ross Atkins admitted it wasn't the plan. “We would have certainly been pleased to have Jeff Hoffman tonight and next year, but that return and the shape of it made sense for us,” he said.

So why keep paying him? Because covering salary helped the Jays get a better return, the same approach they used in the Daulton Varsho deal.

It was the right call. Paying a few million to turn a fading closer into a top-10 prospect is smart business, and Toronto's bullpen is better off with Varland closing.

It's like paying the movers to haul away furniture that no longer fits the house. It stings a little, but the room looks better afterward.

His 2026 ended Sept. 26 with a forearm injury. He finished with a 3.55 ERA across both clubs.

The Twins will hope the post-June version shows up next year. Toronto, meanwhile, will be watching Hill's development to see whether those payments were worth it.