10 years after trade, Hoffman ascends into closer role for Toronto
Keegan Matheson
@KeeganMathesonDUNEDIN, Fla. ¨C Closing time is going to look a little different in Toronto.
Gone is Jordan Romano, the beloved Canadian closer who walked into the stadium each day as the most laid-back personality on the roster¡ until that ninth inning rolled around. Jeff Hoffman won¡¯t exactly be recreating those bullpen scenes -- pacing back and forth, dripping sweat -- but different approaches work for different people.
¡°A little bit calmer. Jordan was probably the exact opposite,¡± manager John Schneider said, already laughing. ¡°You¡¯d probably want your daughter to marry him when he¡¯s not on the mound, then you see him on the mound and you want to stay away from him. Hoffman is right in the middle, I think. He¡¯s pretty consistent. He understands the situations and he likes being in those high-leverage spots.¡±
Spring Training is a tough place to recreate the energy of the ninth inning. It took Hoffman just nine pitches to burn through a clean inning at TD Ballpark on Friday in his Grapefruit League debut, and while the crowds have been strong, a calm afternoon in Dunedin doesn¡¯t come close to 45,000 people at Rogers Centre. Baby steps.
¡°I¡¯m kind of the same no matter what and adrenaline takes care of the rest for me depending on what the situation is,¡± Hoffman said. ¡°For the most part, I¡¯m out there with the same cadence, the same thoughts and the same intensity.¡±
Hoffman has earned the veteran treatment here with his three-year, $33 million deal. His days as a struggling starter are now long forgotten. The trade that sent Hoffman and others from the Blue Jays to the Rockies for Troy Tulowitzki feels so far away now. This version of Hoffman is an established, high-end reliever with the potential to be one of the best closers in baseball.
A boring spring is a good spring for Hoffman, with another half-dozen appearances to tinker with his feel.
Friday¡¯s outing was a bit of a homecoming for Hoffman, too. It¡¯s been nearly a decade now, but walking into TD Ballpark this spring, he realized that it was where he debuted as a pro back on May 20, 2015. It had been 3,572 days since a young Hoffman gave up four runs on eight hits to the Tampa Yankees. The stadium itself had been called Florida Auto Exchange Stadium and later Dunedin Stadium, and has since undergone significant renovations.
Between that circuit in the Minor Leagues and his time with the Phillies, Hoffman has played a ton in this area.
¡°In this area of Florida? Oh, I¡¯m very comfortable,¡± Hoffman said. ¡°Between here and Clearwater, it¡¯s got to be in the 20s [of games played]. A lot of baseball.¡±
This is Hoffman¡¯s first time being the face of a bullpen. His profile has quickly risen again over the past couple of seasons as someone who is, by nearly every metric you can find, an elite reliever in Major League Baseball.
He¡¯ll lead a ¡®pen made up of Chad Green, Yimi Garc¨ªa and Erik Swanson. It feels like one more high-end arm would really complete this group, but the Blue Jays feel much better about this group than last year¡¯s -- at least how it turned out -- with depth competitions rolling through camp.
¡°I¡¯m getting to pick really smart people¡¯s brains about our game,¡± Hoffman said. ¡°I¡¯ve never played with any of the guys here, so every day I get to have conversations with a Kevin Gausman or a Jos¨¦ Berr¨ªos. Whoever it is, there¡¯s new ideas that are brought forth in every single conversation. I do my best to have those conversations and have them frequently, especially at this time of year.¡±
Now, the Blue Jays need to give Hoffman some games to close. His signing in early January signaled that the Blue Jays would continue to push in. Why sign a closer -- and make a significant investment in doing so -- if you¡¯re not planning on handing him some leads?
It¡¯s going to look a little different, but the Blue Jays are chasing the same high they captured with Romano at his peak. Romano saved 105 games with the Blue Jays, third in franchise history behind only Tom Henke and Duane Ward. Hoffman has a long way to go, but the Blue Jays want to give him a shot, even if it looks a little different.