The Blue Jays offered Jeff Hoffman a three-year, $33 million contract. A division rival almost signed the righty. Hoffman and the Orioles reached an agreement earlier this week on a three-year, $40 million contract, according to Robert Murray of FanSided.
Murray claims that after the physical showed an issue with his throwing shoulder that worried the organization, Baltimore withdrew from the agreement. Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi and Ben Nicholson-Smith report that after Hoffman backed out of the original terms, Baltimore made him a revised offer, but the All-Star reliever looked elsewhere.
Teams have different standards for the injury risk that they’re willing to tolerate on prospective signings or trade acquisitions. The Orioles have a reputation for being particularly attentive to the physical. The O’s backed out of agreements with Grant Balfour and Tyler Colvin, respectively, in 2013 and ’14.
They restructured their agreement with Yovani Gallardo during the 2015-16 offseason because of concerns about his shoulder. Those situations all predated the hiring of general manager Mike Elias and the franchise’s sale to owner David Rubenstein. This could certainly be coincidental.
Hoffman has not spent any time on the injured list over the last two years. He missed a good portion of the second half of 2022 because of a forearm issue. Hoffman did miss around two months in 2021 due to a shoulder impingement. He was sidelined between May 27 and July 21 that season. The injury did not require surgery.
Other teams have failed free agent physicals, of course. The most famous instance was when the Giants and Mets each pulled out of agreements with Carlos Correa because of concerns about his ankle during the 2021-22 offseason. The Yankees reportedly pulled out of a deadline trade to acquire Jack Flaherty from the Tigers last summer because of concerns about his back. That’s not a direct parallel, as the Yanks had issues with Flaherty’s medical records rather than conducting their own physical.
The Flaherty situation illustrates that different clubs’ medical departments could have diverging opinions on a player’s health. The Dodgers traded for the righty within hours of the Yankees deal falling through. (Flaherty stayed healthy for the stretch run with Los Angeles.) Hoffman’s physical wound up costing him $7MM in guaranteed money, though he can earn up to $6MM back via innings-based incentives. It’s not clear whether his agreement with Baltimore would have included any performance bonuses.
Baltimore shifted swiftly to their next target in the bullpen. Last night, the O’s reached a $10 million, one-year agreement with righty Andrew Kittredge. In front of closer Felix Bautista, who is recuperating from 2023 Tommy John surgery, he will stand alongside Keegan Akin, Seanthony Domínguez, and Yennier Cano.