Thursday, January 08, 2009

Hoffman Spurns Dodgers for Brewers

The Dodgers continue to play in a fantasy world when it comes to signing top-tier players, expecting the intangible "mystique" of the organization to compensate for any monetary gaps in a contract offer. Well, guess who just took the money.

Can you blame Trevor Hoffman for taking the Brewers' $6M offer over the Dodgers' "$4M+" offer? Both were one-year contracts. What offer would you take?

It is ludicrous to think that Frank McCourt's shadow over this organization has an accretive impact on the mystique. In fact, he probably has given the Dodgers a negative impression as a "great place to work" or "a top-tier organization". And in the end, money talks a hell of a lot more than Frank and Ned's grandstanding.

Of course, Frank and Ned will be disappointed, as they thought their offer was fair. In fact, according to the LA Times, the Dodgers' offer hinged upon Hoffman valuing proximity to Southern California:

"He's got three young boys, so he could go home a lot more if he signs with Los Angeles," Brewers General Manager Doug Melvin told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. "That's what free agency allows a player to do -- pick where it's best suited for him to play."

Melvin saw this coming a mile away, so he offered more money. And he won the auction for Hoffman outright. $1-$2M can buy a lot of airline flights between Milwaukee and San Diego. But Hoffman had figured that out already.

7 comments:

Unknown said...

I'm not disappointed with this - $6M was too much to pay for an aging RP, I think that even $4M would have been questionable. I'd rather see them pluck one or two other RPs at a much lower cost.

How about Brandon Lyon or David Weathers?

Eric Karros said...

But we still get Hasselhoff though, right?

Right??

Steve Sax said...

Justin, Rob Neyer agrees with you.

Broxton had better step up.

Alex Cora said...

I'm glad we passed too. I remember him toward the end of last season and he didn't look sharp. A wicked change up doesn't work if your fastball is just as slow.

Eric Karros said...

Sax, I don't understand the statement "It is ludicrous to think that Frank McCourt's shadow over this organization has anything but an accretive impact on the mystique".

Do you mean the opposite?

Steve Sax said...

Ah, you're right EK. Corrected.

Eric Karros said...

Actually what I didn't understand is what this guy has to do with McCourt or signing Hoffman.