Former Marlins division rival pitcher might be an injury risk

The Miami Marlins need starting pitching help, but one starting pitcher (and formerly a reliever) was clearly not an option for Peter Bendix. The Fish could also sign other players, but starting pitching is clearly the issue. Jeff Hoffman is of course the player that I'm talking about. It turned out that the Philadelphia Phillies were right to let him go as he might have serious injury issues.

Jeff Hoffman may have been a risky signing the Miami Marlins were right to pass on.

Jeff Hoffman is trying to convert from a relief pitcher to a starting pitcher. He pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies last season and did quite well. He pitched to a 2.17 ERA/2.52 FIP, with 12.2 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9, in 68 games and 66.1 innings pitched. He accumulated 10 saves and was worth 2.0 WAR. That WAR is considered average for a position player, but is very good for a reliever.

Hoffman however wants to go back to starting pitching. The last time that he was a full-time starter was in 2019 with the Colorado Rockies. That season, he pitched to a 6.56 ERA/6.80 FIP, with 8.7 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9, in 15 games and 70.0 innings pitched. That wasn't very promising to say the least, though the strikeout rate was clearly impressive.

I have little faith in Jeff Hoffman as a starting pitcher, and think that it's a mistake to mess with a good thing. He's already good as a relief pitcher, so I don't see the point of messing with a good thing. I don't see why there's any point in making any changes here.

Hoffman ended up being rejected by not just Philly, but also the Atlanta Braves. He ended up signing with the Toronto Blue Jays instead. I definitely see that as a major mistake for Toronto, as reports are claiming that Hoffman has something wrong with his medicals. That could be a big problem, especially when stretching him out as a starting pitcher all of a sudden.

Jeff Hoffman is definitely someone who I'm glad that the Miami Marlins didn't sign.