Twins land reliever Jeff Hoffman in trade with Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays traded right-handed reliever Jeff Hoffman to the Minnesota Twins just before the trade deadline Monday, the teams announced.

Toronto will receive left-hander Dasan Hill, right-hander John Klein and infielder Dameury Pena, along with $250,000 in international signing bonus space. Hill, 20, is ranked as the No. 7 prospect in Minnesota's system by MLB Pipeline, while the 24-year-old Klein is No. 17.

Hoffman, 33, posted a 3.94 ERA with 75 strikeouts and 18 walks in 48 innings over 51 appearances for Toronto this season. He started the year as the Blue Jays' closer but shifted to a setup role after struggling during the opening month.

Last season, Hoffman led the majors with 59 games finished while collecting a career-high 33 saves. He posted a 4.37 ERA during the regular season but allowed only two runs in 12 1/3 playoff innings as the Blue Jays reached Game 7 of the World Series.

The Twins will inherit the final season of the three-year, $33 million contract Hoffman signed with Toronto before the 2025 campaign. He is owed approximately $12.7 million in 2027 before becoming eligible for free agency.

The right-hander previously spent two seasons with Philadelphia, earning his first All-Star selection in 2024 and posting a 2.17 ERA that season with 89 strikeouts over 66 1/3 innings.

For his career, Hoffman has a 38-40 record with 50 saves, a 4.69 ERA and 638 strikeouts across 378 appearances (50 starts) for the Colorado Rockies (2016-20), Cincinnati Reds (2021-22), Phillies (2023-24) and Blue Jays (2025-26).

Klein made three appearances for the Twins this season, including his major league debut, with a 4.15 ERA, two strikeouts and four walks over 4 1/3 innings. Neither Pena, 20, nor Hill have played a game beyond High-A.

--Field Level Media