The Minnesota Twins were buyers. The Toronto Blue Jays were sellers. In what seemed like a perfect fit for both clubs at the time, the Blue Jays sent right-handed reliever Jeff Hoffman to the Twins for a package of prospects headlined by left-hander Dasan Hill on Aug. 3.
Unfortunately for Hoffman, the Twins are now pretty much out of the playoff race, and the Blue Jays are still alive. After losing 9-2 to the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday afternoon, the Twins fell to 5 1/2 games behind the Guardians for the final American League Wild Card spot with a 70-79 record. With just 13 games remaining in the season, the Twins pretty much need to win out for a chance at reaching the postseason.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jays are just one game behind the Guardians for the final AL Wild Card spot with a 75-75 record. Notably, Toronto holds the tiebreaker over Cleveland.
Former Blue Jays RHP Jeff Hoffman has performed well since being traded to Twins
The Blue Jays probably wish they hadn't traded Hoffman, who has posted a 2.63 ERA with a 1.24 WHIP and 21 strikeouts over 13 2/3 innings with Minnesota this season. However, Toronto is likely just happy it's still in the postseason race after selling at the trade deadline.
The Twins may regret the Hoffman trade, especially since they gave up a promising pitching prospect in Hill. The Twins also surrendered right-hander John Klein and infielder Damuery Pena in the deal. However, they have Hoffman under team control through next year. If Hoffman helps the Twins reach the postseason in 2027, Minnesota shouldn't feel any regret about the deal. Also, if the Twins need to sell at next season's deadline, they can trade Hoffman to another team.
Hoffman will probably have mixed feelings if the Blue Jays reach the postseason. On one hand, he will be happy for his former teammates. On the other hand, the right-hander will likely wish he were playing with them.
Hoffman may feel especially sad that he won't be with the Blue Jays if they make the playoffs because they have unfinished business. Last year, the Blue Jays made it all the way to World Series Game 7 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Toronto was two outs away from winning the Fall Classic. Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning of World Series Game 7, and the Dodgers won in extra innings. Not to mention, Hoffman was the one who surrendered the homer to Rojas.
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