Trevor Hoffman is hanging 'em up.
Hoffman, who spent most of his 18 years in the major leagues with the Padres and all of them as a reliever, is retiring and will join the Padres front office.
Hoffman, 43, holds the major league record for saves with 601. He made just 10 in 2010 as a Brewer while posting a 5.89 ERA, by far the worst of his career.
When healthy, Hoffman regularly racked up 30 saves in a season — he had 14 seasons with 30 or more, the earliest in 1995 and the last in 2009 — and he compiled a career ERA of 2.89. He did this mostly with two pitches: a fastball that stayed effective into his 40s and a changeup that he mixed in expertly.
It's still unclear if Hoffman will make it to Cooperstown and the Hall of Fame — previous relief-only candidates haven't been treated too kindly, and Hoffman doesn't have the postseason laurels of Mariano Rivera. But it's hard to imagine that Hoffman won't at least be a strong candidate.
Trevor Hoffman Declines Offer To Retire As a Padre
Trevor Hoffman retired on Tuesday as Major League Baseball’s all-time save leader, but will not follow the ridiculous practice of signing a one-day contract to symbolically retire with the San Diego Padres. Unlike many others before him, Hoffman didn’t feel the need to formally give up the game with the team he spent the most time -- and had the most success -- with. Hoffman spent his last season with the Milwaukee Brewers and will make the Brewers the last Major League team he will have played for.
Hoffman is bucking the trend, declining to sign a one day contract with the San Diego Padres. As the closer, he earned 549 of his 601 career saves with Padres. When the San Diego front office asked if he would like to sign the one-day contract, so that he could retire with the team, he was short in words saying, “No, I don’t want that.”
Read Article >Trevor Hoffman Retires With Major League Saves Record After 18 Season
Hoffman, 43, holds the major league record for saves with 601. He made just 10 in 2010 as a Brewer while posting a 5.89 ERA, by far the worst of his career.
When healthy, Hoffman regularly racked up 30 saves in a season — he had 14 seasons with 30 or more, the earliest in 1995 and the last in 2009 — and he compiled a career ERA of 2.89. He did this mostly with two pitches: a fastball that stayed effective into his 40s and a changeup that he mixed in expertly.
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