The Philadelphia Phillies have earned a first-round playoff bye after logging one of the best regular seasons in franchise history.
Their roster is fortified with All-Star players throughout, with veterans like Zack Wheeler, Bryce Harper and Trea Turner looking to capture a World Series championship in the midst of long-term deals with the team.
But as the Phillies look toward next season and beyond, they’ll have to think about how they can make room for reliever Jeff Hoffman among those roster staples.
Hoffman, a first-time All-Star, led the team’s bullpen with 89 total strikeouts and maintained a 2.17 ERA in 66.1 innings this year. After that success, Hoffman and the team are hoping to strike a deal for 2025 and beyond, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic.
“Hoffman will be one of the best free-agent relievers this winter,” per Gelb. “The Phillies never engaged Hoffman’s camp this season on an extension. There is mutual interest in a reunion.”
After signing a one-year, $2.2 million contract to avoid arbitration for this season, Hoffman’s due for a much larger deal moving forward. Tim Kelly of Phillies Nation projected Hoffman’s next deal would exceed the $30 million extension Ryan Pressly got from the Houston Astros.
“Factoring in that Hoffman is a couple years younger and the market in theory goes up with the passage of time, something like a three-year deal between $45 and $50 million with a vesting option at a similar rate for a fourth year feels like it would be fair,” per Kelly.
It won’t be easy for the Phillies to add another significant salary to their future payroll. The team is currently on the hook for Major League Baseball’s biggest payroll next year, with several long-term deals on the books.
But Hoffman has played a critical role for a Phillies team with strong World Series aspirations as perhaps the most effective setup man in the big leagues. Despite the looming cost, it seems likely the two sides can turn that “mutual interest” into a reunion that lasts several seasons into the future.
“It’s just a really good situation for me,” Hoffman said of playing with the Phillies, according to Gelb. “For me, I want to play another four or five years, whatever it is, I feel this is the place that can keep me healthy enough to do that. And then also have a chance to win every year that I’m here.”
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