Jeff Hoffman’s difficult season has attracted fresh criticism as the Blue Jays continue to remain in playoff contention. As MLB completed a third of the season, every bullpen decision goes through extra scrutiny. And one analyst thinks Hoffman might lose his spot on the Toronto roster soon.

“I think that if they can come up with a better option, I suspect that he gets designated for assignment,” Steve Phillips said in a podcast on May 31, 2026. 

The 33-year-old Hoffman played 28 games for the Blue Jays this season, securing a 6.31 ERA and pitching 25.2 innings as a reliever. His worst outing came against Baltimore, when he blew a 5-1 ninth-inning lead. Toronto was leading 5-1 in the top of the 9th inning when Hoffman took the mound. Baltimore’s bottom of the order managed 5 runs in 24 pitches, snatching the game from the hosts 6-5.  Hoffman gave up 3 hits and 5 runs in one inning, walking 2 and striking out 1 — unraveling under pressure. 

But this wasn’t his only rough stretch in this season. In 25.2 innings, Hoffman has allowed 35 hits, 10 walks, and 3 homers—48 baserunners that Phillips calls unsustainable. 

“He can’t be in a high-leverage situation in the very least,” he put it quite bluntly. 

Phillips speaks from experience. He served as the General Manager for the New York Mets from 1997 to 2003. And during the early part of his career, Phillips built one of the strongest rosters in the franchise’s history. The Mets made consecutive playoffs (1999-2000) and appeared in their first Subway World Series in 2000. 

Phillips thinks that a pitcher with a 1.75 WHIP and a .321 opponent batting average shouldn’t be an option for manager John Schneider when the Blue Jays are chasing a championship.

Phillips sees one solution for Toronto with Hoffman

Phillips thinks Schneider is using Hoffman because he is still an option. That’s what the analyst wants to change. But he also identified the challenges. 

“But I think that, and it’s a tough, you know, it’s a tough time of year to go find improvements in the bullpen,” Phillips added. 

The trade deadline is already near, and teams don’t usually give away the good options. But the ex-Mets GM offered a solution. He pointed out that the Red Sox are at the bottom of the AL East and will likely look to deal veteran assets, including elite receiver Aroldis Chapman. 

That’s why Phillips pitched the idea of Toronto making a move to acquire Chapman from Boston. The 38-year-old lefty is on a one-year, $13.3 million extension, which the Blue Jays can afford. And he has a 0.48 ERA from 18.2 innings, allowing only 1 run and recording 25 Ks. But the question remains if Toronto can offer someone in return. 

Although the pitcher himself has expressed concern over his form earlier, Toronto and Schneider haven’t reached a point of moving on from Jeff Hoffman yet. But Phillips suggests they should show some urgency while focusing more on the postseason.