The Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves backed out of Jeff Hoffman before he finalized a $33 million, three-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays last week over concerns about the reliever's pitching shoulder. Sign him.

"What they saw on the MRI, whatever they saw, is what their team doctors said," he said during the Blue Jays' introductory video conference Wednesday. "It doesn't match how I feel at all, though, so it's not really something I care about or worry about."

Hoffman, a right-hander who turns 32 on Jan. 8, underwent an on-field physical in preparation for trades with the Orioles and Braves.

“All the flags, the physical objects, it was a huge surprise to me and everyone else,” he said. "If you can check my record over the last few seasons, I'm as healthy as anybody. It's not an issue for me. It's just something they want to bring up and the Blue Jays see who I really am so I'd rather Stay in a place like that.”

Braves spokesman Jared Burleson and Orioles spokesman Jackie Harig said their teams declined to comment.

Toronto's contract for Huffman includes a $5 million signing bonus and a salary of $6 million this year and $11 million in each of the next two seasons. He can earn up to $2 million in performance bonuses each year by pitching innings: $500,000 each for 60, 70, 80 and 90 innings.

"When the team doctors got everything on me and the actual orthopedic exam, there was really nothing to worry about," said Hoffman. "I was moving really well, I had a lot of range of motion, everything looked good to me It’s all normal, like mid-season.”

Hoffman was last on the injured list in 2022 with Cincinnati when he did not play after July 23 due to right forearm stiffness. He played with right shoulder soreness at Illinois from May 27 to July 21, 2021, and sat out early in the 2018 season with right shoulder inflammation while playing at Colorado.

Last year, Hoffman was named an All-Star for the first time, finally ending up with his old major league organization. He was selected ninth overall by the Blue Jays in the 2014 amateur draft and was traded to Colorado a year later. He had his Blue Jays draft card framed and hanging on the wall as he spoke from his home in the Orlando, Florida, area.

"Obviously, there was a little bit of confusion," Huffman said. "As we go through this process, we don't necessarily agree with the content, but teams have their way of looking at conditioning and things like that, and at the end of the day, the ball is in their court. So we're really excited, Toronto Being involved from the beginning and staying connected throughout the process, we always felt like this was a really cool place that we could eventually get to. ”

Hoffman posted a 3-3 record with a 2.17 ERA and 10 saves for the National League East champion Philadelphia Phillies last season and was selected to the All-Star Game for the first time in July. He posted career bests in ERA, saves and appearances (68). He struck out 89 and walked 16 in 66⅓ innings, holding opposing batters to a .197 batting average with a 0.96 WHIP. But he struggled in last year's postseason against the New York Mets, going 1-2 in the three-game Division Series while allowing six runs in 1⅓ innings.

Hoffman will receive $150,000 for winning the Cy Young Award, $125,000 for second place, $100,000 for third place, $75,000 for fourth place and $50,000 for fifth place. Winning catcher of the year will receive $100,000, reaching the finals will receive $75,000, being selected to the All-Star team or winning the World Series MVP will receive $50,000 each, and winning the League Championship Series MVP will receive $25,000.