The 5 most surprising MLB players that were DFA’d on Tuesday

Reliever Jarlin Garcia – San Francisco Giants

Jarlin Garcia has been one of the key relievers used by the San Francisco Giants in the last few years. In both 2021 and 2022, he appeared in 58 games for the Giants and logged the second- and fourth-most innings in relief for the club in those seasons.

His first season with the Giants was in 2020, where he logged a 0.49 ERA in 19 appearances after he appeared in 53 games for the Marlins in 2019 with a 3.02 ERA.

In 2022, Garcia saw his ERA balloon from 2.62 to 3.74, his FIP went from 3.77 to 4.27, and his WHIP went from 0.961 to 1.200. However, those numbers were still respectable numbers.

Garcia went from (oftentimes) being the only left-handed reliever for the Giants (and doing well) to being DFA’d so he may be able to latch on with another team quickly.

Pitcher Jeff Hoffman – Cincinnati Reds

Like his former teammate, Raimel Tapia, Jeff Hoffman has shown glimpses of possessing what it takes to be an MLB-quality pitcher. For Hoffman, though, it was primarily in 2022 and it was a team that wasn’t in contention: the Cincinnati Reds.

Entering the season, Hoffman had a 5.96 ERA in an embattled, six-year career in the majors. He battled through injuries, command issues, and hard-hit rates. The Rockies traded him to Cincinnati before the 2021 season where he saw his best season in his career. In 31 games (11 starts), he had a 4.56 ERA (103 ERA+).

In 2022, he continued his relative success and was even better. He made 35 appearances (one start) and had a 3.83 ERA (117 ERA+) and the lowest FIP of his career as well (4.30).

He still struggled with command (4.6 BB/9) but for a team that has very little pitching and is far from contention, it’s a bit surprising that the Reds decided to give up on him.