Orioles offseason target kisses his luck goodbye after trolling Baltimore

After just a third of the regular season, it feels safe to say that the Baltimore Orioles' offseason is a confirmed bust. To the dismay of many fans, the O’s front office chose to sign multiple veterans with declining skill sets instead of spending big on one or two superstars. There certainly was good cause for the signings, as each player was signed to fill a specific role, and there’s a lot to be said about bringing in players that fit your team’s needs. 

The Orioles have had a lot of success shopping for players in the bargain section. Players like Jacob Webb and Danny Coulombe seemingly came out of nowhere to be huge parts of the team’s success, not to mention the flyer they took on a failing first baseman from the Kansas City Royals named Ryan O’Hearn. He’s been pretty good and should be a first-time All-Star this season. But outside of Tomoyuki Sugano, the Birds have not been able to duplicate that success this season. 

Several players the Orioles signed last offseason are on the injured list. Others have performed well below expectations, leading to one of the worst free agent groups for Baltimore in recent memory. The fact that it came at a time when the O’s were expected to be competing for a World Series makes it even worse. 

However, one thing that did go right for the Birds was the withdrawal of a contract offered to Jeff Hoffman. Hoffman was a highly sought-after reliever following a career year in 2024 with the Philadelphia Phillies. The Orioles offered him a three-year deal worth $40 million, but Hoffman failed his team physical. Team trainers noted concerns about Hoffman’s right throwing shoulder, which led to a reduced offer from the O’s. He ultimately signed a three-year deal with the Toronto Blue Jays worth $33 million. 

Passing on Jeff Hoffman might have been the right move for the Orioles

As luck would have it, the Orioles opened the season in Toronto against Hoffman and the Blue Jays. In that series, Hoffman pitched in back-to-back days and looked very good. In two innings against the O’s, Hoffman allowed just one hit and no walks while striking out three hitters.

A few weeks later, he struck out four Baltimore hitters in two scoreless innings to pick up a win and infamously blew a kiss towards the Orioles dugout following the game. 

With his confidence sky high after shutting down the Orioles, Hoffman had a strong month of April. He went 5-for-5 in save chances and posted a 1.35 ERA, but things have gone downhill since then. Hoffman had multiple bad outings in May, including three blown saves, and his ERA jumped to 5.55. That's higher than any Orioles reliever on the current roster. 

Toronto has stuck with Hoffman as its closer and appears willing to let him work through his troubles. Hoffman said he was surprised to learn he failed his physicals with the Orioles and Atlanta Braves, and that the stuff team doctors saw in MRIs is “a nonissue."

There’s been no indication that Hoffman is dealing with any shoulder issues this season, which would leave poor performance as the only other explanation for his decline. Either way, the Orioles might have dodged a bullet by passing on Hoffman. 

More Orioles news from Birds Watcher