The Philadelphia Phillies All-Star is now the top high-leverage free agent

Philadelphia Phillies saw the veteran pitcher continue his breakthrough with the team, earning his first All-Star nod last season. Now, the team must decide if they want to bring him back.

Studying the state of the free agent market, FanSided’s Zach Pressnell spoke highly of Jeff Hoffman as a powerful lever out of the bullpen.

“While Jeff Hoffman was not the most reliable player in the postseason, he was a staple in the Phillies bullpen all season,” Pressnell said. “He posted elite strikeout rates and very low walk rates. Hoffman will be an elite recruiter in 2025, no matter which team takes him.”

For the first seven years of his career, Hoffman was a decent bullpen player at best. Of course, playing for Colorado Rockies This usually does not result in a better ERA for a pitcher.

In five seasons as a Rockies pitcher, he had just a 6.40 ERA with a 1.621 WHIP and struck out just 7.7 batters per nine innings.

When he left to join Cincinnati Redsalthough things got a little better. The New York native lowered his ERA to 4.28 and slightly increased his strikeout rate.

Philadelphia signed him to a minor league deal at the start of the 2023 season. He attempted to opt out of his contract after spending April in the minor leagues, but was called up and spent the campaign as a shining star.

He continued his breakthrough in this past campaign, giving him two great years of baseball with the Phillies.

Since arriving in Philadelphia, Hoffman has a regular season ERA of 2.28 with a 12.0 K/9 and a WHIP of 0.944.

The 31-year-old excelled in high-leverage situations last season, when batters only hit .210/.259/.298 against him in those outings.

Unfortunately, his season fell apart this past offseason, putting a damper on his otherwise great time with the team.

He gave up six runs and walked two batters in just 1.1 innings in three appearances against the New York Mets.

While postseason struggles are a concern, his strong playoff campaign in 2023 could mean this is just a cold streak.

WITH a pair of hands leaving the bullpenHoffman seems as a leading candidate to return to free agency. With the best years of his career coming here, there must be mutual interest.