Toronto Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman expected to lose his job

In 2025, Hoffman piled up 33 saves, but the ride was bumpy. He finished with a 4.37 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 71 games, and his 40 save chances tell you there were plenty of white knuckles.

Those nerves hit their peak on Nov. 1, 2025, when Miguel Rojas tied Game 7 with a ninth-inning homer off Hoffman. He wore it after the loss, and Jays fans have not forgotten that pitch.

Toronto did add a shiny bullpen piece, signing Tyler Rogers to a three-year, $37 million deal with a vesting option that can push it higher. It's a smart add, but it also screams «matchups and leverage,» not «automatic closer.»

Here's the fan part I can't dodge, people will hold their breath the first time Hoffman jogs in with a one-run lead. Spring training is still a reset button, but the stadium memory is real.

If the Jays need a quick alternative, Yimi Garcia is the obvious name if his elbow is right. He had a 3.86 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 21.0 innings, before a scar-tissue clean-up ended his season.

Louis Varland also fits the modern late-inning mold, and the Jays already trusted him in meaningful spots. MLB.com has him at 23 games and 28 strikeouts in 23.2 innings with Toronto in 2025, even if the results still needed polish.

Then there's Braydon Fisher, the kind of arm that looks like a future ninth-inning option if everything clicks. His rookie line pops, a 2.70 ERA in 52 games with 62 strikeouts and a 1.02 WHIP.

Hoffman still gets the first crack because the résumé matters, and so does the story. He was a Blue Jays first-rounder in 2014, came back a decade later, and he's under contract because they believe the best version is still in there.

Depth doesn't mean panic, it means options. The next milestone is simple: stack clean ninth innings early, and make the conversation boring again.

Source: Blue Jays Nation
Will Jeff Hoffman have potential challengers for the Blue Jays' closer gig?