Hoffman was claimed by the San Francisco Giants, who may have made the claim partly for themselves and partly to impede the division rivals they are chasing, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Colorado Rockies, from getting him.
Hoffman has posted a 1.85 ERA for the Milwaukee Brewers this season, with 27 saves in 29 chances, and he has allowed just 29 hits and one homer in 39 innings.
The Brewers are 12 games out in the NL Central, behind the St. Louis Cardinals, and would have to go on a historic run to climb back into the race. They likely would not get much in return for Hoffman in a trade and might prefer, instead, to keep the veteran closer in an effort to finish strongly.
In response to a general question about whether he anticipated making a move that would compromise the Brewers' bullpen in the days ahead, Brewers GM Doug Melvin replied in an e-mail, "Probably not."
Executives are prohibited, by rule, from speaking about players on waivers.
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