Jeff Hoffman didn't leave Toronto with any bitterness, only genuine appreciation for what he experienced there.
Asked what he'll remember most from his time with the Blue Jays following his trade to the Twins, Hoffman didn't hesitate.
"Once you play in a place like this, you don't want to leave," Hoffman said. "They definitely have a great thing going here. I think all organizations should strive to be like Toronto."
That's a genuinely glowing send-off from a player heading to a new clubhouse, especially given how inconsistent his own results were at times during his Blue Jays tenure.
Hoffman posted a 4.11 ERA across 49 appearances this season before the trade, striking out 72 batters over 46 innings, a stretch that included real excellence since moving out of the closer's role earlier in the year.
His comments echo similar sentiments from other recently traded veterans this deadline, players choosing to speak warmly about the organization even as their time there came to an end.
Toronto sits at 50-59, last in the American League East, a season that's forced this front office into a real teardown, yet the tone from departing players has remained remarkably positive throughout.
Why these kinds of comments matter beyond sentiment
Praise like this from multiple departing veterans says something real about the culture this organization has built, regardless of how disappointing the season's results turned out to be.
A player recommending other organizations aspire to be like the one that just traded him away is a rare kind of endorsement, the sort that speaks to genuine respect rather than obligatory pleasantries.
It's a bit like an employee leaving a company on good terms and still recommending it to friends, the departure itself not overshadowing what the experience actually meant.
Does this kind of consistent praise from departing players suggest Toronto's clubhouse culture remains genuinely strong despite the losing record, or is it simply the standard, polite thing players say when moving on?
Hoffman now begins a new chapter with Minnesota, but his words leave little doubt about how he'll look back on his time in Toronto.
Does Jeff Hoffman's praise change how you view the Blue Jays organization despite this losing season?
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