MLB

When Trevor Hoffman signed with the Milwaukee Brewers prior to the 2009 season, there were some people out there that actually weren't excited about it.

Hoffman is Major League Baseball's all-time saves leader, a sure-fire Hall of Fame member, and one of the best closers of all time, if not the best. After the debacle that the Eric Gagne signing turned out to be...shouldn't it have been sheer relief if nothing else from the fan base?

Even still, there were skeptics. Hoffman had no problem proving those people wrong.

Position: Pitcher

Bats/Throws: Left/Left

Born: December 23, 1987 (Simi Valley, California)

School: Bella Vista High School

Height: 6'5''

Weight: 220 lbs.

2009 Ranking: 10



Breakdown

2009 Record: 87-76
2010 Prediction: 88-74
Predicted Finish: 2nd

Offensive Projections:
http://www.fan-exchange.com/mlb/teamhittingpredictions.asp?userid=53&franchid=MIN&yearid=2010

Let me preface this by saying that I have seen no linkage of any kind between the Atlanta Braves and Felipe Lopez.

Brett Gardner had 284 plate appearances last year, and during approximately 284 of them I was screaming at my TV begging him to bunt.

Maybe 284 sacrifices is a bit much for one season, but when you have as much speed as the Yankees' outfielder does, it makes sense to lay one down once in a while to see if you can beat the throw to first.

This is why I was pleased to learn today that the 26-year-old has practiced more bunting this offseason. Because, after all, it's hard to steal bases if you're not on base.

What? They're still looking?

With less than a week before the official start of spring training, the Chicago Cubs are still looking to fill arguably their greatest off-season need: a reliable right-handed setup man for their new closer Carlos Marmol.

After "kicking the tires" on a host of potential candidates such as Frasor, Park, and Gregerson, Chicago is left with no better solution than they had at the end of the '09 season.

After the 2008 season, the Mariners fired GM Bill Bavasi and hired Jack Zduriencik.

Led by GM Jack Zduriencik, the Mariners made bold moves over the last couple of years to make them the favorite to win the AL West in 2010.

This is a look at the seven best moves JZ has orchestrated.

Feel free to agree or disagree in the comments section.

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According to George King of the NY Post , longtime Yankees trainer Gene Monahan will miss spring training and possibly the start of the season with what is termed as a “significant illness.”

When I have a couple of things to write about at the same time and don't feel like making separate posts about each one, I combine them under a heading I like to call Quick Hops.

Every now and then, I get some information passed along to me. You can take the information for what it's worth to you. At this point, after all, I am just a fan of the team that enjoys sharing his thoughts about it.

So, with that disclaimer out of the way, let me pass along what I've been told.

Welcome to the seventh edition of "Daily Random Sports Thoughts."

For those not familiar, I pick a team, player, or any other topic in sports that I have five random thoughts about.  If you like 'em, read 'em.  I'm trying to get 'em on here every day!

Today's lucky random sports topic is...the Tampa Bay Rays!

1) Hopefully, you guys can have another cinderella season like 2008!