Jeff Hoffman is pitching well with the Twins, but Minnesota's season is fading fast.

The Twins fell 9-2 to Cleveland Sunday, dropping to 5.5 games behind the Guardians for the final AL wild-card spot at 70-79.

With just 13 games left, Minnesota basically needs to win out for any real shot at October.

Toronto sits in the exact opposite position. The Blue Jays are one game back of Cleveland at 75-75, and they hold the tiebreaker over the Guardians.

That contrast makes the Aug. 3 trade sending Hoffman to Minnesota for a package headlined by Dasan Hill look increasingly one-sided, at least in terms of who actually gets to play meaningful baseball this fall.

Hoffman has been excellent since the deal, posting a 2.63 ERA with a 1.24 WHIP and 21 strikeouts over 13.2 innings for Minnesota.

Toronto likely wishes it had kept him. But given where the Blue Jays sit in the standings after selling at the deadline, that regret is probably outweighed by simple relief at still being alive in the race.

Why Hoffman might feel especially conflicted this fall

Minnesota also gave up right-hander John Klein and infielder Damuery Pena in that deal, a real cost if the Twins miss the postseason entirely.

They do retain Hoffman under team control through next year, which softens the blow. If he helps Minnesota reach October in 2027, or gets flipped again at a future deadline, the return still has real value attached to it.

Hoffman's own feelings about a potential Blue Jays playoff run would likely be complicated.

He'd be happy for former teammates, but he'd also almost certainly wish he were still part of that group given what's still unfinished in Toronto.

Last year, the Blue Jays came within two outs of a World Series title, only for Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas to hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning of Game 7. Los Angeles won in extra innings.

Hoffman was the pitcher who surrendered that homer.

That history adds a genuinely personal layer to how this trade plays out. Whether Toronto gets a chance to finish that business without him, or Minnesota's season somehow rallies to make this a moot point, is the story both fan bases will be watching over these final 13 games.