Not much has been going right for the Philadelphia Phillies in recent weeks. At one point, it seemed like they were going to win the National League East, but after some really disappointing performances on the field, they have bounced back.

The Phillies still have the edge, as they have the NL’s best record at 69-48 entering Sunday’s game, but aside from Kyle Schwarber’s power show against the Los Angeles Dodgers, this team has struggled to string together wins.

Even All-Star relief pitcher Jeff Hoffman hasn’t been immune to problems lately. Last week against the Seattle Mariners, he allowed four runs, driving up his ERA.

He has struggled to get back into the swing of things, allowing earned runs in three of his last four appearances. Philadelphia is certainly hoping this is just a blip, as he was dominant in the 2024 season.

Despite the recent slip-up, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report believes Hoffman is one of the pending free agents who has increased his value the most during the 2024 season. It’s hard to argue with that.

In the first half, Hoffman posted a 1.12 ERA in 41 appearances and 40.1 innings pitched. Only eight runs, five of which were earned, were scored against him as he had a WHIP of 0.893. He easily blew away the competition with 52 strikeouts.

Not many people saw this turnaround coming with the Phillies. He struggled in the first seven seasons of his career, but the circumstances couldn’t have been worse.

Hoffman began his career as a pitcher for the Colorado Rockies. Their home stadium, Coors Field, has always been a terrible place for pitchers because of its high elevation, making it a hitter’s paradise.

From there, he landed with the Cincinnati Reds, who play at another home stadium, Great American Ballpark. Getting away from his home stadiums certainly helped him turn things around for the better, because the talent was always there.

Now, Miller believes Hoffman is in position to hit the jackpot in free agency. He compared the veteran’s situation to that of Robert Stephenson, who were traded for each other in 2020 and had a similar career path in a difficult pitching environment.

“In nearly 300 career innings for Cincinnati/Colorado, Stephenson had a 4.97 ERA. After finally breaking free of those shackles, he had a 3.15 ERA and a 13 K/9 average in 65.2 IP between Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay, earning him a three-year, $33 million contract with the Angels last winter.

Hoffman was even better than Stephenson, though, so the reliever, who turns 32 in January, could be in for something even more lucrative,” Miller wrote.

It will be interesting to see how much money Hoffman can make on the open market. Teams are always looking to add bullpen reinforcements and are willing to pay a premium for them. The Phillies could find themselves in a bidding war for his services.