Yesterday, Mark Bowman dropped one of the most intriguing nuggets of a Braves offseason that’s been incredibly mundane. The MLB.com pundit reported that the Braves had a deal in place for Jeff Hoffman, but it fell through after a failed physical.
Mark Bowman then went on to say the deal was for five years and nearly $50 million, which was a far more lucrative contract than the one Hoffman went on to sign with the Blue Jays, which is for three years and $33 million guaranteed.
“A source said the Braves had a potential deal that was nixed when Jeff Hoffman failed his physical,” Bowman writes.” Hoffman also reportedly failed a physical with the Orioles before signing a three-year, $33 million deal with the Blue Jays.
Another source said the Braves’ deal with Hoffman would have been a five-year deal worth $45-48 million. The right-hander could have been given a chance to start before spending his final years of the deal as a reliever.”
While it is extremely frustrating for the Braves to seemingly come up short in free agency once again, this new information paints the situation in a much different light. Alex Anthopoulos certainly wasn’t being cheap. Nearly $50 million for a reliever that could potentially serve as a starting pitcher if everything went perfectly is a ton of money. Unfortunately, taking that kind of gamble on an arm that’s been flagged medically is foolish.
As Bowman notes, the Braves weren’t the only team to shy away from a Hoffman following a physical. The Orioles did as well, which suggests moving forward with that agreement could have ended up being a disaster.
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Photographer: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
