TORONTO, ON – OCTOBER 24: Jeff Hoffman #23 of the Toronto Blue Jays looks on from the dugout prior to Game One of the 2025 World Series presented by Capital One between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Friday, October 24, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
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The Toronto Blue Jays made some significant changes to the pitching staff before the season started, but that didn’t hold off in-season turmoil for very long.
Shortly after the team revamped its personnel group by bringing in frontline starter Dylan Cease, reigning Korean Baseball Organization MVP Cody Ponce and veteran closer Tyler Rodgers, the team had to shuffle its rotation following some injuries shortly after Opening Day. Trey Yesavage, Jose Berrios and Shane Bieber all started the season on the injured list and Ponce was lost for the season shortly afterward, while Max Scherzer has struggled.
Toronto Blue Jays Replace Closer After Harsh Start To Season
And now the bullpen has seen a significant shakeup as well, with closer Jeff Hoffman struggling.
“There has been plenty of noise lately about Toronto’s bullpen usage, particularly around Jeff Hoffman, the club’s stalwart closer since the start of the 2025 season,” Ethan Diamandas wrote for MLB.com. “On Friday, Schneider announced Hoffman would no longer operate as the club’s de facto closer. Instead, Toronto would approach the ninth inning on a committee basis, leaning on Tyler Rogers and (Louis) Varland.”
In the immediate wake of Hoffman’s demotion out of the closer’s role, it seems as if Varland has emerged as the team’s de facto replacement. On Saturday and Sunday, during the team’s series against the Cleveland Guardians, he earned consecutive saves.
Toronto Blue Jays’ New Closer Sends Jeff Hoffman Message
And as Varland took over the closer’s role, he sent a message about Hoffman and the challenges of taking over the role he held for so long.
“It’s basically what Hoffman has been dealing with the past couple of years,” Varland said after handling the ninth inning on Saturday, according to the Toronto Star’s Mike Wilner. “Team’s on your shoulders, you’re dealing with a lot of pressure. It’s the highest-pressure scenario… It was new to me, it was weird. I wasn’t used to it, obviously, but hopefully I get more used to it as time comes.”
With the Blue Jays looking to build some momentum after a disappointing start to the season, it seems Varland will have some more opportunities to get accustomed to the closer’s role.
Hoffman posted a 6.94 ERA while finishing nine games for the Blue Jays this season, after an up-and-down debut season with the Blue Jays last year that included a harsh blown save in Game 7 of the World Series. Varland should have some runway to establish himself as the go-to option in the highest leverage spots, particularly after his strong debut as Hoffman’s replacement. And if he can perform well, he could earn some big-time saves if the Blue Jays are able to make another deep postseason run.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterchawaga/2026/04/28/blue-jays-new-closer-sends-weird-jeff-hoffman-message-after-taking-his-role/
