Sandy Alderson Report Part 1 (MP3)

• Padres made an offer to Trevor in early October.  Trevor's agent was unhappy that the Padres didn't respond to Trevor's request to meet with him, especially that John Moores wouldn't meet.
  
• The Padres had been thinking about pulling the offer before Trevor's agent's comments, but the comments "had some impact".
• The Padres are suffering through the poor economy as well.
• The Padres declined to have John Moores talk to Hoffman.  Alderson agreed to meet with Trevor and if Alderson wasn't able to answer his questions then they would consider scheduling a meeting with Moores.  This was communicated to Trevor.
• Alderson is still willing to meet with Trevor.
• Alderson admits that he wasn't prepared to get involved in the negotiations because last time he did there was so much drama brought about by the agent.  In the last contract negotiation Alderson says "It bordered on humiliating in terms of how they approached it"
• "It's wouldn't be a surprise for John to meet with Trevor, it would be a surprise for John to meet with Trevor and his agent.  That's not going to happen on my watch, because I'm not going to subject an owner to that kind of dynamic."
• Alderson, Kevin Towers and Hoffman should meet first and then go from there.
• Trevor is on a trip so he hasn't been available the last week.
• Alderson thought there was a general agreement that this negotiation would be confidential.  Trevor went on a trip and Trevor's agent "starts popping off".  From the Padres point of view that's a change in circumstance.
  
• They aren't going to trade Jake unless they get a baseball deal they like.
• They didn't sign Giles to turn around and trade him the next week.
• "It's almost as if we have Giles for free for April and May" since they would have had to pay $3M in a buyout.
• John Moores will have the opportunity to say if he wants to talk to Trevor or not.
• Alderson met with Moores on Sunday.  The offer was pulled on Friday.  Moores didn't disagree but they didn't have much conversation about it.
• Conversation between the agent and the Padres got heated.
• "You can't leave an offer out there forever"
• The Padres are prepared to move on without Trevor if they have to.
• Hoffman and his agent didn't know the Padres would pull the offer on Friday.

Sandy Alderson Report Part 2 (MP3)

• The offer to Hoffman was not a take it or leave it offer.  It was negotiable but it was pretty close to best that the Padres could do.  The offer was one year plus option.
• Trevor was treated better than other players.  The Padres made a substantial offer considering Hoffman's and the team's circumstances.  Alderson also offered to meet with him which usually doesn't happen.
• There is no easy way lose a popular player. 
  
• Alderson can't control what Hoffman's agent does.
• "These are not easy times or easy issues to address"
• The club has not discussed giving Hoffman an executive job with the club after his retirement.
• The announcement of Hoffman's contract withdrawl and the date of Season Ticket Holder renewals was purely coincidental 
• Alderson needs to make tough choices in the best interest of the Padres
• Alderson fully understands that Season Ticket Holders would have a very difficult time trying to envision what they will see on the field next season
• It was Alderson's decision to pull the offer from Hoffman.  As a Front Office they talked about how long the offer was out there and thought it was a liability.
• Is Alderson prepared to take responsibility for being the guy that forced Hoffman out of San Diego? "What choice do I have?"
• If talking to Moores is in everybody's best interest than it will happen.
• "I understand what Trevor Hoffman represents to the San Diego.  I'm not anxious to see him leave.  I'm not anxious to be vilified as an outsider by people that think I don't appreciate what Hoffman means to San Diego.  On the other hand my charge is to do what is in in the best interest of the Padres for the long term. "
• Alderson isn't confident that Heath Bell could exceed the performance of Trevor Hoffman.  He can't say that for sure.
  
• Alderson respects Trevor Hoffman.  He respects what his agent has to say, he guesses.  "Just becaue the agent says it doesn't mean it's true"
  
• The next step is for Trevor, Kevin Towers and Alderson to meet.
• The Padres are willing to talk to Trevor.
• This is a baseball decsion that has to be made.  From a PR stand point, there's been drama about this before and he's not surprised that it happened again.  It's somewhat inevitable.
• Alderson is hopeful that the three will get a chance to meet.  Moores could make the decision that he'll talk to Hoffman.  Moores hasn't expressed interest to Alderson.  Alderson thinks Moores probably supports the decisions they've made.
• It's a battle of egos that Alderson is trying to get through.  He thinks Padres approached it in the right way.
• Alderson assumes that Moores knows that Hoffman wants to talk to him.
• Hoffman has been in Puerto Rico for some time.
• Alderson won't admit that the Padres have a history of poor treatment of players when it comes to making offers.  Alderson points to players that did get good treatment.
• Most teams don't try to pursue players that injure themselves (Khalil) because they don't think they have precedence or a good case.
• Alderson thinks that Trevor's leadership is important.
• Alderson's attitude toward Trevor is that Trevor had pitched well enough to come back.
• Trevor is a different type of player and he was treated differenlty.
• Alderson was not surprised that Hoffman filed for free agency.  It happens and it is routine.
• Alderson doesn't think that there is bad blood between the Front Office and Hoffman.  Alderson gets fired up and doesn't mind mixing it up but it doesn't let it linger.
• When offering a contract Alderson thinks they do factor in what he means to the community.
• "They [the Padres] pay a lot more attention to what fans think than many people believe.  This is the entertainment business."
• Alderson can't speculate if Hoffman will return in 2009.