The Toronto Blue Jays are entering the new season with a strange feeling: both strong and uneasy. They still carry the lingering effects of 2025—a long journey, a roster capable of dreaming big—but also a mental wound that can’t be healed simply by replacing a few players. While people are talking about Toronto “trying out” an aging Max Scherzer, the real story might lie in a less-noticed area: the closer position.
Jeff Hoffman is the perfect paradox for Toronto. He just had a 2025 season with 33 saves—a number every team would covet. Hoffman also has stuff enough to make hitters breathless, and even many technical metrics show he possesses “above-average” weapons. The problem is: the number of saves is sometimes just a nice coat for something that might not be so good underneath.
Overall, 2025 isn’t a completely rosy picture. An ERA of 4.37 isn’t the kind of number that puts fans to sleep after inning 9. A WHIP of 1.191 isn’t the “definition” of a lockdown closer. And most importantly—something statistics can’t measure—is the feeling. A pitcher can get over a loss. But a moment that’s stamped “changing history” is much harder.
Because it’s not just in Hoffman’s head. It’s in the crowd’s head.
When Hoffman himself is quoted as admitting that he “made the locker room lose a ring,” the story immediately shifts from technical to psychological. And once a story shifts to psychological, it never stays in the old season. It creeps into the new season, lurking at every bullpen gate that opens, just waiting for a blow save to erupt again.
Toronto might ask themselves: why choose that path?
Not because Hoffman is incompetent. But because the situation could become toxic. A closer in Toronto isn’t just about batters—it’s about memories. Every time the game isn’t locked down, the noise returns. Questions recalling the World Series arise. And what should have been just a “slip” is transformed into a “sign.”
Meanwhile, Toronto isn’t short on options. The rotation sounds like a statement: Dylan Cease, Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage, and one of Cody Ponce or José Berríos. The bullpen isn’t empty either: Louis Varland, Tyler Rogers, Yimi García, Braydon Fisher, Brendon Little, Eric Lauer… enough for the team to consider a small but sensible rotation.
And that’s why some argue: if Toronto has one more “must-do” move before spring training, it’s trading Hoffman—not to punish, but to liberate. A trade that doesn’t need to be a blockbuster. Just trade him for another closer who’s “almost equivalent,” maybe even with baggage—as long as it’s baggage from another team, not Toronto’s.
Sounds cruel? Maybe. But baseball is sometimes cruel in a very quiet way: you don’t lose because of a lack of talent, you lose because you can’t control the invisible things in the locker room and in the stands.
The Blue Jays still generally have the look of a contender. But the question is: do they want to enter 2026 with a ready-made explosive moment…or do they want to cut the rope now?
And if Toronto keeps Hoffman for the rest of the season, are they believing in a comeback…or are they writing their own ending that they themselves fear looking back on?
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