Trevor Hoffman

He will be back in San Diego next season, take it to the bank.

"Hells Bells" are as loud as ever. Even if they are now ringing in Milwaukee instead of San Diego, the song still blares when Trevor Hoffman exits the bullpen and heads for the mound. Longtime Yankees closer Mariano Rivera earned his 500th save Sunday night, but he is still well behind career saves leader Hoffman (572), who has 18 saves for the Brewers this year after needing just one pitch to finish off the Mets on Monday.

One of the major reasons for his continued success is his changeup. That pitch was almost impossible to hit when he was in his prime, and it's still been hard to hit even in the later days of his career. The great thing about the changeup is that as long as you continue to reduce its speed in relation to a declining fastball, you can still be very effective. Some pitchers lose their fastball but can't get their changeup to match. If you throw a 90-92 mph fastball, you can usually figure out an 80 mph changeup. But if your fastball is now at 85-86 mph, can you throw a changeup around 72 mph? That takes artistry.

With any pitcher there is a risk of injury, and with older pitchers it can become more of a concern. Still, in my opinion, this won't be Hoffman's last season. Don't look now, but with his ability and dedication, I think 600 career saves is likely and even 700 is not out of the question.

ESPN

Best Free Agents
2. Trevor Hoffman, Brewers closer. He took the chance leaving Southern California (he had an offer to go with the Dodgers) to go for beer and brats, and he hasn't missed a beat. For a bargain $6 million, his 17 saves are only three off the NL lead, and he missed the first three weeks of the season.

3. Francisco Rodriguez, Mets closer. The Mets solved their relief woes by signing one of the very best for $37 million over three years. Worries about him losing his stuff appear wholly unfounded, as he has 20 saves in 22 tries and has allowed just 19 hits in 35 2/3 innings. Plus, he's hit as high as 96 mph on the gun lately. One of only two blown saves came when Luis Castillo dropped a pop fly on the last out.

Jon Heyman - SI.com

greatest closer ever ..

The official records and scorebooks say it has happened before. Trevor Hoffman will confirm that.It just seems as if it hasn't because the first-year Milwaukee Brewers closer has been almost as perfect as a pitcher can be. Well, at least he had been.

White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski singled home pinch runner Clayton Richard with two outs in the top of the ninth inning, taking the game from the Brewers, 5-4, and Hoffman's perfect record and blank earned run average Sunday afternoon in front of a mixed bag of 41,586 fans at Miller Park.

That final run was the first allowed by Hoffman all season, spoiling the perfect 0.00 ERA he had coming into the ninth.

• Carlos Villanueva got the save in the Brewers win over the Giants. He tossed a perfect ninth inning and struck out two.
• Grant Balfour earned the save against the Boston Red Sox Wednesday.
• Cito Gaston would prefer not to use closer B.J. Ryan on consecutive days. Scott Downs and Brandon League would see closing opportunities if Ryan is bypassed.
• Brian Fuentes blew his first save allowing four hits, a walk, and three earned runs in a loss to the Athletics.
• Trevor Hoffman plans to intensify the distance and intensity of his throwing sessions starting Thursday.
• Dr. James Andrews, who is treating A's Joey Devine, wants Devine to get a bone scan and a CT scan to help determine the next course of action.

• Tony Clark will start at first base today, according to the Arizona Republic. Chad Tracy will start at third, meaning Mark Reynolds will ride the pine.
• Eric Byrnes will start in right field, Justin Upton sits.
• Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said RP Leo Nunez is the fallback closing option.
• Brian Roberts (illness) didn't work out Sunday, April 5, but is expected to play in the season opener.

Okay, so when I said that my Last Minute Shuffle would be the last Spot * On blog before the start of the MLB Season, I was lying. So sue me. I've been fascinated with closers for some time now (no, I don't mean Kyra Sedgwick), how people obsess over them, when to draft them, their role both in baseball and in fantasy, and how to utilize them most effectively in general. The polar opposing opinions that exist are stifling, if not fun to read. I want to take a look at a good number of 9th inning men today, as well as who I'm avoiding and targeting for Saves this season; and my picks may surprise you...

what an idiot.

At home, whether that be Qualcomm Stadium or PETCO Park, it was much easier to get away from the ninth inning and that recognizable chime of "Hells Bells" from the stadium loudspeakers, and, more often than not, a successful save conversion by Trevor Hoffman.

That's right: Towers, who took over as general manager of the Padres in 1995, has never once laid eyes on a Hoffman save.

It appears the Padres will allow Trevor Hoffman to join the Dodgers or Brewers without putting an offer back on the table for the all-time saves leader.

Blame it on a budget squeeze that will slash the payroll to $40 million, said Kevin Towers, the general manger of a front office under orders from owner John Moores to slash the payroll to near its 1997 level and some 40 percent lower than last year's Opening Day projection.

“It's not that we don't want Trevor back,” Towers said. “We just don't have the money.”

The way this front office is treating a San Diego legend is disgraceful. Props to you guys, for pissing off 95% of your fanbase, and alienating your greatest asset.

I think what they should do is give themselves promotions. and raises.

no way in hell the padres are “BETTER” because of this crap ..

fools

ESPN Trevor Hoffman still miffed by treatment from San Diego Padres

"You don't really want to deal with people who handle their business that way... To come home and to hear the comments, and hear how they're spinning lies to do damage control, I feel like I have to stand up and set the record straight a little bit, and say how things happened."

Big League Stew Sports Padres fax a good-bye to Hoffman

The Padres say they're slashing expenditures, most notably by trying to trade ace Jake Peavy, probably to the Braves or Cubs, and further scorching the Earth by pushing away Hoffman, the indisputable face of the franchise.

And, get this: The Padres informed Hoffman not in person with a one-on-one conversation, or a hand-written note, or even with a phone call

Instead, they sent his reps a fax.

Hells bells, now that's class.