7 Reasons for Trevor to Stay in San Diego

November 7, 2008

Trevor Hoffman, baseball’s all-time saves leader, is a free agent. He’s been offered a contract by the Padres, $4 million for this year and a $4 million option for next year. But there’s been no word from Trevor or his agent as of yet. I am very certain that he will stay, and here’s the reasons why.

REASON #7: He has 554 saves, 552 with San Diego. He tied for the all-time record here in Petco Park. The next day, he became the all-time saves leader against the Pirates. He also got his 500th and 550th at Petco. I mean, he’s already made history here. Every save breaks his own record. He became the leader here in San Diego, as a Padre. Why should he add to that record in another uniform?

REASON #6: He’s been here for 15 years. That’s a long time. His first team was the Flordia Marlins, who traded him to the Padres in 1993. It would be plain WRONG to go to another team for only one or two years. Why can’t he be sort of like Tony Gywnn?

REASON #5: His family is very established here. Trevor’s wife, Tracy, runs a children’s gym. His three boys, Brody, Quinn and Wyatt have lived here their entire lives. If Trev is going retire in a few years anyway, why move on now?

REASON #4: Trevor Time and the fans. Ever since Hell’s Bells first played in Qualcomm Stadium in 1998, every Padres fan heads to Petco with the hope of seeing Trevor Time. When the Padres are leading by a few going into the top of the 9th, we buzz in anticipation of our all-time saves leader making an appearance. I had the extreme privilege of seeing Trevor Time live for the first time this year. I will never forget it. Seeing him on the mound, Hell’s Bells blaring through the stadium, all 30,000 or so fans standing and screaming, all of us confident in our legend. It’s amazing. It’s a San Diego tradition. We die-hards love him. There are some who will doubt him, but the faithful know. He may struggle, he may fail, but he always takes all blame, and he fights to win. You gotta cheer for a guy like Trevor.

REASON #3: He’s been in this situation before. In 2005, Trev was a free agent. He got offered a really good contract by the Cleveland Indians. He turned it down to stay with the Padres, sacrificing about $11 million. He’s not in it for the money, that’s well known. He wants to stay in San Diego, and the front office seems to want him too. So this won’t be about the money. It’s going to be about Trevor pitching for his team.

REASON #2: He can still pitch. I know the excuses, the bashes: he’s old, he’s washed up, his time is over, he can’t pitch. Well, the truth is, he may be 41, but he CAN still pitch. I mean, look at Greg Maddux. Look at Jamie Moyer. They are both really old guys, but they pitch well every fifth day. Trevor is a closer; he does not pitch that much. His save oppurtunities are usually very far apart. He gets a lot of time to rest, and he keeps himself in great shape. Though he does struggle at the beginning of the season, he always bounces back and finishes decently. He threw really, really well last year, better than he has in a few years. His stuff was great. The guy has one, if not two, years left in the tank.

AND NOW, THE NUMBER ONE REASON FOR TREVOR TO STAY IN SAN DIEGO IS…

He IS San Diego. Ask any Padres fan. Besides Tony Gywnn, Trevor is the face of the Padres. He’s been here for 15 years. He is our celebrity. He’s going to the Hall of Fame in a Padres uniform. Besides his amazing performance on the field, he is generally a great guy. He always gives the press all the time it needs, especially after he blows a save. He also does a ton of charity work.

We love him here. This is where he belongs. We need our closer. We need Trevor Hoffman.          

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Written by Kaity Bergquist Posted in Dailies Tagged with padres, trevor hoffman