"You don't really want to deal with people who handle their business that way... To come home and...

But Trevor is whining about learning contract negotiation stuff through the internet. Which is his agent’s doing, not the Padres. The Padres had to scramble after the agent leaked all the contract information. He also says

“It was never their intention to honor [the offer],” said Hoffman. “And they didn’t have the strength to stand up and do that the right way.”

Which is pure conjecture on his part. He doesn’t know any better than we do as to whether they would have honored the deal. To me it looks like Trevor is getting jerked around by both his agent and the Padres. The Padres can’t afford to pay market value for a reliever on the downside of his career and the agent doesn’t to take anything less than the max offer, damn the consequences. Which means the fans suffer and Trevor is mostly innocent. However, just because Trevor thinks the Padres lied, doesn’t mean that they actually did.

Homer: Ohhhh, The Denver Broncos.
Marge: Whats wrong with the Denver Broncos?
Homer: Marge you just don't understand football.

by Wonko on Nov 14, 2008 11:48 PM PST up reply actions 2 recs

scramble how

you mean cover their ass?

Hoffman asked for a meeting to discuss his long term future with the padres, and they denied him that. Period. You can spin it how ever you want, but that is a fact.

Hoffman said he was getting ready to take the offer. And again, why did the front office demand this be private? and who the hell are they to demand such things? Offers hit the AP everyday this time of year. Why did this front office think they needed to be so top secret about it, and then the public anger about the contract hitting the press? wha what?

They wanted to control the media on this, thats why. They didn’t want him back, plain and simple.

552

by wrveres on Nov 15, 2008 12:24 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs

YOU'RE WRONG

1. They said they’d be glad to have a meeting with him, sans John Moores.
2. The FO and Trevor Hoffman had agreed earlier to keep it quiet in order to move things along quickly before the free agent signing period.
3. They are the people who sign his paycheck, that’s who the hell they are.
4. I already addressed why it was supposed to be quiet
5. “They wanted to control the media on this, thats why”- Who are you, a GOP conspiracy theorist?
6. “They didn’t want him back, plain and simple.”- and now you are a mind reader?

Please put at least a little thought into your posts next time.

Ron Rivera. Change we can believe in. YES WE CAN!

by Sam (sdsuaztec4) on Nov 15, 2008 12:56 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

check your facts

1. The front office is saying they would be glad to have a meeting with him NOW. After the nightmare. You bet your ass they are willing to meet with him NOW. They look like idiots.

2. Again, the front office told you this. Kevin towers and Alderson. I don’t remember Trevor Hoffman saying this. Just the front office.

3. This is not the idiot short stop that slammed his hand into the locker. This is a friggin franchise icon you are dealing with, fool.

4. so, you just included it to show you could count to six?

5. & 6. are just dumb. And then you said, put some thought into .. classic. Like yo did with your little counting exercise i guess.

And since when are the padres run like the Gustapo?
Two years ago they were giving rides home in the company plane to Junior, after he beat us. Now the franchise icon can’t even get a sit down. Gets released via fax?

bull chit.

552

by wrveres on Nov 15, 2008 1:10 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs

Like I was saying

It’s he said she said. If you choose to believe the FO you trust a biased side, if you choose to believe Hoffman’s agents or Hoffman’s comments that are most likely biased by his agents’ spin the you also have a biased view. I choose to believe that the professionalism was mostly there and both sides have made it ugly afterwords because neither really wanted to be together and neither wants to look bad doing it. But, guess what? They both look bad, cuz they are acting like childish aholes.

Homer: Ohhhh, The Denver Broncos.
Marge: Whats wrong with the Denver Broncos?
Homer: Marge you just don't understand football.

by Wonko on Nov 15, 2008 1:49 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs

we should all pitch in.

and get them a table for four at the Prado.

Towers
Hoffman
Peavy
Alderson

then they can settle this like the friars of yesteryear. over wine.

552

by wrveres on Nov 15, 2008 2:00 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Judging how things have gone so far

Hoffman’s agent would stumble in sloppy drunk and try to make out with Hoffman just to sabotage the whole thing.

Homer: Ohhhh, The Denver Broncos.
Marge: Whats wrong with the Denver Broncos?
Homer: Marge you just don't understand football.

by Wonko on Nov 15, 2008 2:03 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs

so hoffmans agent is a sloppy drunk?

are you trying to slime the guy to help you feel better about your opinion?

552

by wrveres on Nov 15, 2008 2:07 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs

Yes

Hoffman’s agent is a sloppy drunk. That is exactly what I’m saying.

Homer: Ohhhh, The Denver Broncos.
Marge: Whats wrong with the Denver Broncos?
Homer: Marge you just don't understand football.

by Wonko on Nov 15, 2008 2:09 AM PST up reply actions 7 recs

zing

www.wellbelowthemendozaline.blogspot.com

by justdave on Nov 15, 2008 4:23 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Right over your head

Ron Rivera. Change we can believe in. YES WE CAN!

by Sam (sdsuaztec4) on Nov 15, 2008 10:46 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Some facts for you.

How it appears to have gone down:

KT(not SA): Faxed offer of $4 million with no incentives and an option year with no buyout to Thurman on October 10th – 1st reported in Media on October 16th during interview with Kevin Towers. What happened to negotiations being private?

Offers cannot be officially accepted until 1 day after end of World Series. Game 5 was completed on October 29th.

Hoffman: Nothing new to report on Oct 18th.

Padres: News leaked to media of amount and length of offer to Hoffman. Attributed to “source within the Padres organization with knowledge of the negotiations”. October 22nd.

Hoffman: Instructed Rick Thurman to Request meeting with Moores, Alderson and Towers. (1st reported by media outlets on Nov 4th as having happened on October 24th.)

Thurman: Expresses disappointment that Padres have not responded in any way to request for a meeting with Hoffman. The interview in which this was revealed was by Krasovic on Nov. 6th.

Towers: When asked about Thurman’s comments, General Manager Kevin Towers said, "I left Hoffman a voicemail message last week on his cell about Sandy and I being accessible to meet with him, although we couldn’t guarantee John Moores’ presence due to him more than likely being out of town." Nov. 6th. (Hoffman was in Puerto Rico at the time.)

Padres FO: Notify Thurman in a fax that they have withdrawn offer.

Hoffman: After being notified by his agent, Hoffman calls Towers November 10th. Is told negotiations are over. This has apparently been confirmed by Peavy, Young and others who were with Hoffman in Puerto Rico.

Alderson: Tries to spin one of the worst PR blunders in Padres history. Fails miserably. November 11th.

Do you know what we get to do today? We get to talk baseball!

www.websoulsurfer.com

by websoulsurfer on Nov 16, 2008 3:35 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

i'd still like to know how they "Scrambled"

and why did they feel the need to scramble?

552

by wrveres on Nov 15, 2008 1:18 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

They scrambled by discussing things in the media

Sandy Alderson talked about the negotiations only after the agent leaked the contract details. Before that, the company line was that they wanted Trevor back. They had to scramble because the agent was trying to make the Padres look bad in order to gain leverage, so they were trying to get the upper hand back, but really never did.

Homer: Ohhhh, The Denver Broncos.
Marge: Whats wrong with the Denver Broncos?
Homer: Marge you just don't understand football.

by Wonko on Nov 15, 2008 1:51 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs

but there were no negotiations

the padres offered.
hoffman replied, let meet about a week later.
then silence
and more silence
and then a leak, that if i remember correctly was attributed to the padres, not to the agent ..

and then the offer was pulled, don’t let the door hit ya on the way out.

552

by wrveres on Nov 15, 2008 1:56 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Why do you just take what people say

And then say the opposite? The Padres wanted to keep the negotiations quiet. Why would they want to leak a low ball offer?

Homer: Ohhhh, The Denver Broncos.
Marge: Whats wrong with the Denver Broncos?
Homer: Marge you just don't understand football.

by Wonko on Nov 15, 2008 1:58 AM PST up reply actions 3 recs

your assuming

it was somebody high up in the front office.
anybody could have leaked it. You can rest assured that the UT was calling anybody and everybody they knew for weeks, trying to find out the contract info.

552

by wrveres on Nov 15, 2008 2:02 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I guess

But the UT wasn’t the first reporter on that one. The AP was. If the UT had the scoop, I suspect they’d try to get it their paper first.

Homer: Ohhhh, The Denver Broncos.
Marge: Whats wrong with the Denver Broncos?
Homer: Marge you just don't understand football.

by Wonko on Nov 15, 2008 2:05 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

once again.

its a contract offer to a baseball player. Not nuclear launch codes. these things are in the paper every day. The only people who wanted it private was the friars. why?

552

by wrveres on Nov 15, 2008 2:09 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Like DePodesta said

Any inclination that the Padres wouldn’t keep Trevor would make them look bad. These are business negotiations where you want to get the best deal for your side, and if the media knew what sort of offers and ploys you were trying, they would spin it such that you didn’t want the fan favorite. These are the main reasons why the Padres would want it quiet.

If I were thinking like the player agent and I wanted as much money as possible, I would worry that my client might sign with the sentimental choice for less money and the more I could spark controversy, the better chance my client would go to the open market and take the biggest money offer and get me the most money.

Homer: Ohhhh, The Denver Broncos.
Marge: Whats wrong with the Denver Broncos?
Homer: Marge you just don't understand football.

by Wonko on Nov 15, 2008 2:14 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Right

irregardless of his clients life long wishes to finish his career as a padre. This agent decided he could make an extra $25,000, if he could drive a wedge between his client and the padres.

you know what?

i am not buying it.

552

by wrveres on Nov 15, 2008 2:19 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

come to think of it.

that might be an ethics violation.

Hoffman’s agent sabotaged his clients 17 year career, for 25 grand.

552

by wrveres on Nov 15, 2008 2:23 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Sorry, I don't believe in altruistic agents/lawyers.

Why would the agent care about the client’s life long wishes if he gets extra money on the client’s last contract? It’s not like the agent will have to deal with any consequences to that.

Homer: Ohhhh, The Denver Broncos.
Marge: Whats wrong with the Denver Broncos?
Homer: Marge you just don't understand football.

by Wonko on Nov 15, 2008 2:24 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs

a lack of future clients

is consequences my friend.

552

by wrveres on Nov 15, 2008 2:26 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Scott Boras

Goes for money over feelings all the time and has no shortage of clients.

Homer: Ohhhh, The Denver Broncos.
Marge: Whats wrong with the Denver Broncos?
Homer: Marge you just don't understand football.

by Wonko on Nov 15, 2008 2:26 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

yes but his clients know this and are behind it all the way.

Trevor wanted to retire a padre. juuust a little different, wouldn’t you say?

552

by wrveres on Nov 15, 2008 2:29 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Not really

The bottom line is that Trevor will most likely sign for more money than he could get from the Padres. That is a situation that works out in favor of the agent. It might be naive to to think that the agent didn’t have something to do with that.

Yes. Hoffman’s agent is a sloppy drunk. That is exactly what I’m saying.

by Wonko on Nov 15, 2008 2:34 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

and somebody called ME the conspiracy theorist.

as I said above, I am not buying it.

I am not buying that this agent decided to go against his clients wishes. So he sabotaged the relationship, to make an extra 25 grand, one last time .. agree to disagree ..

552

by wrveres on Nov 15, 2008 2:41 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

It's not a conspiracy

It’s business.

Yes. Hoffman’s agent is a sloppy drunk. That is exactly what I’m saying.

by Wonko on Nov 15, 2008 2:42 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

let me also just interject here...

and say thanks for keeping this debate civil. honestly.

by Dex on Nov 15, 2008 7:24 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs

dex

just to be clear. I am not angry or upset. I am certainly not trying to pick a fight unlike that suarez poster.

i came in here to have a discussion, nothing more, and apparently that is either foreign to some people, or based up the responses in most threads, frowned upon.

its like mission bay’s very own deadspin or something.

552

by wrveres on Nov 15, 2008 5:00 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

So what you are saying is

You ARE a mind reader?

Ron Rivera. Change we can believe in. YES WE CAN!

by Sam (sdsuaztec4) on Nov 15, 2008 9:04 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

In this case

you have Thurman the agent and Alderson the lawyer. The best of both worlds.

by jbox on Nov 15, 2008 10:06 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I love when people use irregardless

Reminds me of Ben Affleck in Good Will Hunting.

by Winfield's Ghost on Nov 15, 2008 8:14 AM PST up reply actions 5 recs

yeah i agree

so not a word

www.wellbelowthemendozaline.blogspot.com

by justdave on Nov 15, 2008 4:25 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Hoffman signed for $4 million less than the Padres offer 3 years earlier

Why would his agent sabotage the negotiations on a much smaller contract now against the express wishes of his client?

That just makes absolutely NO sense.

Do you know what we get to do today? We get to talk baseball!

www.websoulsurfer.com

by websoulsurfer on Nov 16, 2008 3:47 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

you'll have to scan up to see what i'm replying to...

but this comment wins the black pot award for the week.

by Dex on Nov 15, 2008 7:23 AM PST up reply actions 9 recs

I would rec this about a million times if I could

That really, really made me laugh.

by Winfield's Ghost on Nov 15, 2008 8:12 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

"...according to a Padres source with knowledge of the negotiations"

On October 22nd that was the line that followed:

The San Diego Padres offered closer Trevor Hoffman a $4 million deal with an option for 2010…

It was the PADRES that leaked the amount and terms initially, not Thurman.

Do you know what we get to do today? We get to talk baseball!

www.websoulsurfer.com

by websoulsurfer on Nov 16, 2008 3:50 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Braaaaaaaaaack. Wrong answer, but thanks for playing.

On October 22nd the amount and terms of the contract were leaked by “source within the Padres organization with knowledge of the negotiations” according to reports on several media outlets.

Do you know what we get to do today? We get to talk baseball!

www.websoulsurfer.com

by websoulsurfer on Nov 16, 2008 3:52 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Right

Because “source within the Padres organization with knowledge of the negotiations” is so specific. And we all know the media is so accurate with their reporting and sources when it comes to the hot stove season. How many reports go around with the tag “from a source within the organization” that has some insider source that ends up being completely bogus. That source from within the organization could easily have been Thurman making some phone calls.

I am not totally onboard with the idea of Hoffy’s agent sabotaging things, but unfortunately it is just about as reasonable as anything else at this point.

I still hold to the idea that Towers, Peavy, and now Hoffman, and their agents are all in on this. They are just setting everyone up to think that the Padres have already given up on the season, and then with a few key Towers Trades™, and a couple FA signings, we will win this division with nobody expecting it.

by osbug on Nov 17, 2008 7:47 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Here is a little reality for you and Sandy Alderson aka SDSUAztec4