Trevor Hoffman will probably enter the Hall of Fame on the first vote.  He will also probably go into the Hall as a San Diego Padre since he has already accepted a job working in San Diego’s front office. Is the office offering the way for the Padres front office to ease their own conscious as the team who pretty much gave up on Hoffman at the end of the 2008 season, yanking a $4 million option year away.  The reliever, who had one of his kidneys removed when he was only five years-old, got the bulk of his Hall of Fame statistics with the Padres… but…

Yeah, I have heard the arguments before…  it was a business move by the Padres.  So was the trade that got Hoffman in one of their uniforms as Gary Sheffield and anyone else worth money was sent away for prospects in 1993.  San Diego was lucky to even acquire him from Florida.  So should Hoffman go in as a Marlin?  Nah.

The Cincinnati Reds drafted Hoffman in the 11th Round of the 1989 amateur entry draft.  He was originally drafted as an infielder, but after batting only .212 through his first 103 games, Charleston Manager, Jim Lett, suggested he take up pitching.  Maybe Hoffman should go in as a Cincinnati Reds player and have Jim Lett give his induction speech.  Nah.

Before the 2009 season, Hoffman signed a $6 million deal with the Milwaukee Brewers.  Despite starting the season on the DL, Hoffman made the All-Star team and ended the year with 37 saves.  The Brewers re-signed Hoffman, but as the laws of nature would have it, Hoffman finally hit the wall.

What makes this whole point compelling (about Hoffman going in as a Brewer) is the fact that they found ways to get him his 600th save.  Milwaukee has found a closer in John Axford. Yet, every chance the Brewers had in the second half of the season, they would insert Hoffman for a gift save.  Gifts, that is what Hoffman’s last ten saves were.  Had he been in San Diego, they may have sent him somewhere again to dump his salary and conduct what seems like an every third year fire sale of Padres.  Not Milwaukee…  They stuck it out and let the all-time saves leader tack a few more on.  Go in as a Brewer.

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