John Smoltz on the verge of becoming a Red Sox (1 Viewer)

[=Smackdown=]

A major league source who was in contact with John Smoltz on Wednesday night said the free agent will be calling the Braves on Thursday morning to tell them that he has decided to sign with the Red Sox.

MLB.com confirms that it'd be a $5.5 million deal with a chance to earn up to $10 million in incentives. Smoltz is 41 and he'll be coming off major shoulder surgery, but he could very well be another top-of-the-rotation starter for Boston. It's a big addition. Jan. 7 - 11:10 pm et

Source: Hot Stove Blog (rotoworld)

How many SP's to the Red Sox have now? 6? 7?

Smoltz a Brave since 1987 when he was traded from the Tigers for Doyle Alexander. This is a great signing by the Red Sox.

 

[Capella]

Great signing? WOW? Guy is 42 and can't finish a season.

I would dial back the excitement a notch.

 

[David Yudkin]

Sox are continuing to shop at the bargain bin hoping to hit on somebody on the cheap. Smoltz if healthy would be a plus . . . but who knows what he has left coming off of major surgery and at 41 years old. You can't really have too many pitchers.

 

[harryhood]

I cant see him having too much success in the AL East.

 

[shadyridr]

A major league source who was in contact with John Smoltz on Wednesday night said the free agent will be calling the Braves on Thursday morning to tell them that he has decided to sign with the Red Sox.

MLB.com confirms that it'd be a $5.5 million deal with a chance to earn up to $10 million in incentives. Smoltz is 41 and he'll be coming off major shoulder surgery, but he could very well be another top-of-the-rotation starter for Boston. It's a big addition. Jan. 7 - 11:10 pm et

Source: Hot Stove Blog (rotoworld)

How many SP's to the Red Sox have now? 6? 7?

Smoltz a Brave since 1987 when he was traded from the Tigers for Doyle Alexander. This is a great signing by the Red Sox.

Really? Same kind of signing they did with Penny. Theyre hoping they strike lightning with one of them. Wouldnt they have been better off signing Perez at 10m than these 2 at 10m?

 

[=Smackdown=]

Great signing? WOW? Guy is 42 and can't finish a season. I would dial back the excitement a notch.

Maybe I went a little overboard but Smoltz has always been my favorite non-Mets player over the last 2 decades.Low-risk-high reward at the $$$ their giving him. An absolute JOKE that the Braves offered about half of that. I'd much rather pay Smoltz 5.5 mil with incentives possibly climbing to 10 million that 10 million for Pettitte.

 

[=Smackdown=]

A major league source who was in contact with John Smoltz on Wednesday night said the free agent will be calling the Braves on Thursday morning to tell them that he has decided to sign with the Red Sox.

MLB.com confirms that it'd be a $5.5 million deal with a chance to earn up to $10 million in incentives. Smoltz is 41 and he'll be coming off major shoulder surgery, but he could very well be another top-of-the-rotation starter for Boston. It's a big addition. Jan. 7 - 11:10 pm et

Source: Hot Stove Blog (rotoworld)

How many SP's to the Red Sox have now? 6? 7?

Smoltz a Brave since 1987 when he was traded from the Tigers for Doyle Alexander. This is a great signing by the Red Sox.

Really? Same kind of signing they did with Penny. Theyre hoping they strike lightning with one of them. Wouldnt they have been better off signing Perez at 10m than these 2 at 10m?

Hey Shady - long time no see.If you mean Oliver Perez - he's looking for a lot more than 10 million per year.

 

[shadyridr]

A major league source who was in contact with John Smoltz on Wednesday night said the free agent will be calling the Braves on Thursday morning to tell them that he has decided to sign with the Red Sox.

MLB.com confirms that it'd be a $5.5 million deal with a chance to earn up to $10 million in incentives. Smoltz is 41 and he'll be coming off major shoulder surgery, but he could very well be another top-of-the-rotation starter for Boston. It's a big addition. Jan. 7 - 11:10 pm et

Source: Hot Stove Blog (rotoworld)

How many SP's to the Red Sox have now? 6? 7?

Smoltz a Brave since 1987 when he was traded from the Tigers for Doyle Alexander. This is a great signing by the Red Sox.

Really? Same kind of signing they did with Penny. Theyre hoping they strike lightning with one of them. Wouldnt they have been better off signing Perez at 10m than these 2 at 10m?

Hey Shady - long time no see.If you mean Oliver Perez - he's looking for a lot more than 10 million per year.

I have no clue what hes looking for but IMO he'll get around 10m per for 2-3 yrs. Lets see if Im right. Despite the Yankees bloated spending the economy has lowered the other contracts being signed.

 

[MAC_32]

A major league source who was in contact with John Smoltz on Wednesday night said the free agent will be calling the Braves on Thursday morning to tell them that he has decided to sign with the Red Sox.

MLB.com confirms that it'd be a $5.5 million deal with a chance to earn up to $10 million in incentives. Smoltz is 41 and he'll be coming off major shoulder surgery, but he could very well be another top-of-the-rotation starter for Boston. It's a big addition. Jan. 7 - 11:10 pm et

Source: Hot Stove Blog (rotoworld)

How many SP's to the Red Sox have now? 6? 7?

Smoltz a Brave since 1987 when he was traded from the Tigers for Doyle Alexander. This is a great signing by the Red Sox.

Really? Same kind of signing they did with Penny. Theyre hoping they strike lightning with one of them. Wouldnt they have been better off signing Perez at 10m than these 2 at 10m?

I don't think so, at some point you have to ignore tools and look at production. Perez has the stuff, but his wild inconsistencies are not worth the asking price.

 

[Sea Bass]

From the outside it appears that the Penny and Smoltz signings could indicate that the Sox are considering trading Buchholz. The Braves have had a brutal offseason.

 

[MAC_32]

From the outside it appears that the Penny and Smoltz signings could indicate that the Sox are considering trading Buchholz.

I don't see that at all, could you elaborate?

 

[Captain Hook]

From the outside it appears that the Penny and Smoltz signings could indicate that the Sox are considering trading Buchholz.

I don't see that at all, could you elaborate?

(you could have read the background at fantasybaseball.com) The Red Sox still need a catcher....before the Winter meetings in Vegas they had asked the Texas Rangers (who had/have extra catching) about trading a couple of minor leaguers for Jarrod Saltalamacchia.........the Rangers said they would trade him - for Buchholz and that quickly ended the conversation................so fast forward and they have signed Penny and presumably Smoltz which means they don't think Buchholz is ready for this year (or the pressure to win Now is greater with the Yankees moves) and they might well go back to that trade or one similar.PVH

 

[MAC_32]

From the outside it appears that the Penny and Smoltz signings could indicate that the Sox are considering trading Buchholz.

I don't see that at all, could you elaborate?

(you could have read the background at fantasybaseball.com) The Red Sox still need a catcher....before the Winter meetings in Vegas they had asked the Texas Rangers (who had/have extra catching) about trading a couple of minor leaguers for Jarrod Saltalamacchia.........the Rangers said they would trade him - for Buchholz and that quickly ended the conversation................so fast forward and they have signed Penny and presumably Smoltz which means they don't think Buchholz is ready for this year (or the pressure to win Now is greater with the Yankees moves) and they might well go back to that trade or one similar.PVH

I can see that, but I don't know if the Rangers would be willing to part with Salty after dealing away Laird earlier this offseason. I like Max Ramirez and Taylor Teagarden, but neither are ready for the big leagues and that's who they'd have to roll with if they dealt Salty. They'd be going from really deep at a scarce position to dangerously thin, not so sure they'd do that anymore. If they hadn't already dealt Laird I think it'd be different.

 

[Sammy3469]

A major league source who was in contact with John Smoltz on Wednesday night said the free agent will be calling the Braves on Thursday morning to tell them that he has decided to sign with the Red Sox.

MLB.com confirms that it'd be a $5.5 million deal with a chance to earn up to $10 million in incentives. Smoltz is 41 and he'll be coming off major shoulder surgery, but he could very well be another top-of-the-rotation starter for Boston. It's a big addition. Jan. 7 - 11:10 pm et

Source: Hot Stove Blog (rotoworld)

How many SP's to the Red Sox have now? 6? 7?

Smoltz a Brave since 1987 when he was traded from the Tigers for Doyle Alexander. This is a great signing by the Red Sox.

Really? Same kind of signing they did with Penny. Theyre hoping they strike lightning with one of them. Wouldnt they have been better off signing Perez at 10m than these 2 at 10m?

Hey Shady - long time no see.If you mean Oliver Perez - he's looking for a lot more than 10 million per year.

Plus, a Smoltz (or even Penny) that pitches well for 3 months is a lot more valuable in the AL East than a Perez for the whole season with his lack of control.

 

[GroveDiesel]

From the outside it appears that the Penny and Smoltz signings could indicate that the Sox are considering trading Buchholz. The Braves have had a brutal offseason.

I disagree. Their pitching rotation was WAY too old. They have to start over and get younger. No way does Smoltz make it through an entire season. He's not a Glavine or Maddux that relies mainly on control and stuff. He relies a lot more on power. And coming off of a major arm surgery at 42, there's no way he can maintain that. The only thing that could make some sense, is to make him the closer and try the Papelbon as starter experiment again.

And yeah, the Braves got screwed with the Furcal thing, but frankly I wasn't all that excited to see him back in Atlanta anyway. The guy's body is already breaking down and IMO he's not as good of a player as most people think he is. The Braves are at a point where they need to strip things down and start over. They managed to keep reloading instead of rebuilding for a long time. They're at the point now where everything is bled dry and they need to undertake a serious rebuilding. If they still had the kind of money to spend that the Yankees and Red Sox and Dodgers have, then they could consider reloading instead of rebuilding. But they don't have $250M to spend on payroll.

 

[David Yudkin]

From the outside it appears that the Penny and Smoltz signings could indicate that the Sox are considering trading Buchholz. The Braves have had a brutal offseason.

I disagree. Their pitching rotation was WAY too old. They have to start over and get younger. No way does Smoltz make it through an entire season. He's not a Glavine or Maddux that relies mainly on control and stuff. He relies a lot more on power. And coming off of a major arm surgery at 42, there's no way he can maintain that. The only thing that could make some sense, is to make him the closer and try the Papelbon as starter experiment again.

Why not use Smoltz as a set up man? Timlin is done . . . let Smoltz take over his role. Set up guy and closer when Paps needs a night off.

 

[dparker713]

The suggestion to sign Oliver Perez to pitch in that ballpark, in that division, with that 10 cent head is utterly cringe-worthy.

 

[GroveDiesel]

From the outside it appears that the Penny and Smoltz signings could indicate that the Sox are considering trading Buchholz. The Braves have had a brutal offseason.

I disagree. Their pitching rotation was WAY too old. They have to start over and get younger. No way does Smoltz make it through an entire season. He's not a Glavine or Maddux that relies mainly on control and stuff. He relies a lot more on power. And coming off of a major arm surgery at 42, there's no way he can maintain that. The only thing that could make some sense, is to make him the closer and try the Papelbon as starter experiment again.

Why not use Smoltz as a set up man? Timlin is done . . . let Smoltz take over his role. Set up guy and closer when Paps needs a night off.

That would make logical sense. But I'm not sure that Smoltz would be very happy in that role. My guess is that it's a moot point. I bet that his signing includes some kind of assurance of what his role is going to be, especially if he can double his salary by meeting certain incentives. If they have no intention of providing him with an opportunity to meet those incentives, I doubt he'd sign the deal.

 

[guru_007]

Not really thrilled at this signing.

42 year old pitchers coming off major shoulder surgery don't WOW me.

5.5 million for a setup man? No thank you.

I doubt Smoltz would want to be a reliever too, as he has pretty vehemently stated he wanted to return to the starters role with Atlanta.

And signing Smoltz as insurance so they can deal Bucholz for a catcher doesn't really seem that shrewd a move to me, considering they were unwilling to part with him earlier for a Johan Santana deal.

 

[David Yudkin]

From the outside it appears that the Penny and Smoltz signings could indicate that the Sox are considering trading Buchholz. The Braves have had a brutal offseason.

I disagree. Their pitching rotation was WAY too old. They have to start over and get younger. No way does Smoltz make it through an entire season. He's not a Glavine or Maddux that relies mainly on control and stuff. He relies a lot more on power. And coming off of a major arm surgery at 42, there's no way he can maintain that. The only thing that could make some sense, is to make him the closer and try the Papelbon as starter experiment again.

Why not use Smoltz as a set up man? Timlin is done . . . let Smoltz take over his role. Set up guy and closer when Paps needs a night off.

That would make logical sense. But I'm not sure that Smoltz would be very happy in that role. My guess is that it's a moot point. I bet that his signing includes some kind of assurance of what his role is going to be, especially if he can double his salary by meeting certain incentives. If they have no intention of providing him with an opportunity to meet those incentives, I doubt he'd sign the deal.

Set up guy SHOULD be the role he gets. I'm guessing he would prefer to be a starter. I also think he has appearance and inning clauses that would pay him incentives either way. Like 150 IP and/or 50 appearnaces.I wonder if he should really be considered an upgrade from Schilling and whether Smoltz can pitch from Day One or if he needs more rehab/DL time.

 

[TLEF316]

GREAT signing by the red sox!!! (is there any other kind?)

 

[shadyridr]

The suggestion to sign Oliver Perez to pitch in that ballpark, in that division, with that 10 cent head is utterly cringe-worthy.

Perez absolutely dominates the Yankees

 

[=Smackdown=]

The suggestion to sign Oliver Perez to pitch in that ballpark, in that division, with that 10 cent head is utterly cringe-worthy.

Perez absolutely dominates the Yankees

Dominates the Yankees & Phillies and gets absolutely shelled by the Nationals & Marlins.It's enough to drive you crazy.

 

[Giantseasonticketholder]

Great signing? Is this 1989 again?

 

[Sea Bass]

From the outside it appears that the Penny and Smoltz signings could indicate that the Sox are considering trading Buchholz.

I don't see that at all, could you elaborate?

(you could have read the background at fantasybaseball.com) The Red Sox still need a catcher....before the Winter meetings in Vegas they had asked the Texas Rangers (who had/have extra catching) about trading a couple of minor leaguers for Jarrod Saltalamacchia.........the Rangers said they would trade him - for Buchholz and that quickly ended the conversation................so fast forward and they have signed Penny and presumably Smoltz which means they don't think Buchholz is ready for this year (or the pressure to win Now is greater with the Yankees moves) and they might well go back to that trade or one similar.PVH

Buchholz and Ellsbury's names have been tossed around in trade rumors. The most notable rumor is that the Sox have made offers for H. Rameriz. Catching and ss are two needs that a young available pitcher could help the Red Sox garner.

 

[Raider Nation]

Was Don Sutton unavailable?

 

[Why Me?]

Not really thrilled at this signing.42 year old pitchers coming off major shoulder surgery don't WOW me.5.5 million for a setup man? No thank you.I doubt Smoltz would want to be a reliever too, as he has pretty vehemently stated he wanted to return to the starters role with Atlanta.And signing Smoltz as insurance so they can deal Bucholz for a catcher doesn't really seem that shrewd a move to me, considering they were unwilling to part with him earlier for a Johan Santana deal.

I thought Lester was the deal breaker for Johan.. I also think the writing's on the wall for Bucholz being dealt for a catcher, or part of some other deal. The guy has huge potential but there are enough red flags with his work ethic and mental makeup to make him at best a 50/50 prop to be a solid #2 someday that I think they're willing to part with him.

 

[Thunderlips]

Smoltz, Penny and Baldelli.....versus Sabathia, Burnett and Teixera. Looks close to me.

 

[Da Guru]

I don`t see the "wow" factor at all here. Maybe 5-6 years ago.

Smoltz will be 42 in season, coming off major shoulder surgery, had elbow sugery the year before.

5 million + incentives? I thought Smoltz would be lucky to get a minor league deal ++ at his age and injury background.

 

[=Smackdown=]

Nobody seems to like my "WOW" comment.

Mostly my "wow" comes from Smoltz not wearing a Braves uniform anymore. Going to be really weird seeing him in a Red Sox uniform next year AND the fact the cheap ### Braves kicked their future Hall of Famer and face of the franchise to the curb over a few million dollars.

 

[Da Guru]

Nobody seems to like my "WOW" comment.Mostly my "wow" comes from Smoltz not wearing a Braves uniform anymore. Going to be really weird seeing him in a Red Sox uniform next year AND the fact the cheap ### Braves kicked their future Hall of Famer and face of the franchise to the curb over a few million dollars.

Not sure how bad Atlanta wanted to keep Smoltz anyway, plus Smotlz has a better chance on winning a World Series in Boston. Probably a win..win for Atlanta and Smoltz.If Smoltz retire after this year hardly anyone will remember he played for the Sox after awhile.

 

[David Yudkin]

Smoltz, Penny and Baldelli.....versus Sabathia, Burnett and Teixera. Looks close to me.

The Sox 3 guys add up to like $12 million a year. Compare that to the Yanks and their close to $60 million (if not more) for their 3 guys.The other thing people seem to be forgetting is that they like to simply add the 3 big players to the Yanks and simply ADD production to the Yankees totals from last year but they neglect to look at the big picture.On the ledger, the Yanks let Abreau and Giambi go. That's 200 RBI between them. They added Tex. If he drives in 200 runs this year then he's worth his contract. With a healthy Posada, the Yanks will probably improve by 30-40 RBI over the 50-60 they got last year from the catcher's spot. Certainly Nady/Matsui/Damon will give them something from 2 OF and the DH spot, but I'm not sure that gets them what Abreau gave them as his contribution from last year. Does Tex, a healthier Posada, and a healthier Matsui come out to more runs than Giambi and Abreau gave them last year? Maybe, but it's far from a slam dunk that it will be a lot more.On the pitching front, Mussina and Pettitte combined for 34 wins. How many more wins are CC and AJ going to get than that? I realize a healthy Wang will also make the staff much stronger and Joba could do very well. But in a matter of speaking you could say that CC and AJ are basically restocking the wins from Mussina and Pettitte.I'm not saying the Yankees didn't get better, but I'm wondering aloud if the Yankees got leaps and bounds better as many are touting. And with several of their key guys getting older (Jeter, Damon, Matsui, Posada, and Rivera will be 35 or older) injuries can start to be a consideration. If they need to rely on young guys to step in, as they found out last year that can be a wildcard that no one really knows what to expect. Good team, yes, phenomenal team . . . I guess we'll have to wait and see.As for the Red Sox, I doubt they are done maneuvering, and I suspect they will add others to the mix either as free agents or by trade. (Certainly the Yankees can also make more moves, so it's likely too early to do a full team comparison.)

 

[dparker713]

Is Smoltz even going to pitch before June? If you're looking to take a flier on a player though Smoltz with his competitive fire is as good a bet as any (save Sheets, but he'd cost a draft pick too)

 

[DropKick]

Smoltz, Penny and Baldelli.....versus Sabathia, Burnett and Teixera. Looks close to me.

The Sox 3 guys add up to like $12 million a year. Compare that to the Yanks and their close to $60 million (if not more) for their 3 guys.The other thing people seem to be forgetting is that they like to simply add the 3 big players to the Yanks and simply ADD production to the Yankees totals from last year but they neglect to look at the big picture.On the ledger, the Yanks let Abreau and Giambi go. That's 200 RBI between them. They added Tex. If he drives in 200 runs this year then he's worth his contract. With a healthy Posada, the Yanks will probably improve by 30-40 RBI over the 50-60 they got last year from the catcher's spot. Certainly Nady/Matsui/Damon will give them something from 2 OF and the DH spot, but I'm not sure that gets them what Abreau gave them as his contribution from last year. Does Tex, a healthier Posada, and a healthier Matsui come out to more runs than Giambi and Abreau gave them last year? Maybe, but it's far from a slam dunk that it will be a lot more.On the pitching front, Mussina and Pettitte combined for 34 wins. How many more wins are CC and AJ going to get than that? I realize a healthy Wang will also make the staff much stronger and Joba could do very well. But in a matter of speaking you could say that CC and AJ are basically restocking the wins from Mussina and Pettitte.I'm not saying the Yankees didn't get better, but I'm wondering aloud if the Yankees got leaps and bounds better as many are touting. And with several of their key guys getting older (Jeter, Damon, Matsui, Posada, and Rivera will be 35 or older) injuries can start to be a consideration. If they need to rely on young guys to step in, as they found out last year that can be a wildcard that no one really knows what to expect. Good team, yes, phenomenal team . . . I guess we'll have to wait and see.As for the Red Sox, I doubt they are done maneuvering, and I suspect they will add others to the mix either as free agents or by trade. (Certainly the Yankees can also make more moves, so it's likely too early to do a full team comparison.)

My reaction as well... not to mention the potential problem's with the long term commitments of the Yankee contracts.From Boston's perspective (and they've got money to spend) isn't Penny/Smoltz about what they paid for Schilling last year? I wouldn't be surprise if at least one of these guys pays off.Curious though.. the number of pitchers they've assembled. Possibly a deal in the works involving one of their pitching prospects or possibly a health concern with Beckett?

 

[DA RAIDERS]

From the outside it appears that the Penny and Smoltz signings could indicate that the Sox are considering trading Buchholz. The Braves have had a brutal offseason.

I disagree. Their pitching rotation was WAY too old. They have to start over and get younger. No way does Smoltz make it through an entire season. He's not a Glavine or Maddux that relies mainly on control and stuff. He relies a lot more on power. And coming off of a major arm surgery at 42, there's no way he can maintain that. The only thing that could make some sense, is to make him the closer and try the Papelbon as starter experiment again.

Why not use Smoltz as a set up man? Timlin is done . . . let Smoltz take over his role. Set up guy and closer when Paps needs a night off.

this is what i was thinking as well. i think he's a meh signing, but i like his versatility. he's old as dirt, but IF he comes back from injury he's a great insurance bet.

 

[Ron_Mexico]

The suggestion to sign Oliver Perez to pitch in that ballpark, in that division, with that 10 cent head is utterly cringe-worthy.

concur.