Trades: Oh, the possibilities! (Jack Cust, anyone?)
Over the Monster — ... The Globe's Tony Massaroti took a good look at the Red Sox today and dissected it to see where the areas of improvement are. A couple areas are obvious: when it comes to trades, the pitching staff really doesn't need anything. Although the Red Sox starting pitchers have been absolutely abysmal at times, the depth is there: John Smoltz, Clay Buchholz and Michael Bowden are all waiting in the wings for a shot at the big time. Meanwhile, there's also pitchers like Justin Masterson who could start in a pinch and ...

minor lines, 6/1/09-6/2/09
McCovey Chronicles — ... of the Giants' season home runs in one game.  (C) Neal gets a home run in San Jose's win.  (D) Oh, yea, Clark gave up a fly ball to start the game.  Which is notable since, well, he struck out the next ten he faced!  Clark ties the California League single-game record set back in the days when the teams involved were in Salinas and Santa Barbara 6/2 - (A) Where's that Greg Maddux guy?  The GreenJackets faced Tom Glavine after facing John Smoltz a couple of weeks ago.  Results are predictable. ...

An Unceremonious End for Tom Glavine
Talking Chop — ... Glavine's friend and long time teammate John Smoltz, who himself left Atlanta unceremoniously this off-season, had ...

The Phillies as possible suitors for Tom Glavine
Talking Chop — ... Keep in mind too that this could add extra fuel to the angst that John Smoltz feels for the Braves right now. He is ...

Glavine says release from Braves all about the money
Talking Chop — ... with the fans. But the Braves weren't "hoping" Glavine would get hurt, that's just ludicrous. The Braves weren't hoping Glavine would get hurt back in April when they expexted him to come out of extended spring training and join the starting rotation, and they weren't hoping for it this time. "No question in his mind" that the front office was hoping he would get hurt?!? That really makes Tom Glavine sound silly, not to mention petty (which is not surprising if he's taking cues from John Smoltz, and the way he handled his departure from the organization). ...

Thursday's Roto Round Up: Raul Ibanez Hits GW HR, Javier Vazquez K's 12
FakeTeams — ... scoreless for 6 innings while striking out 5. Theo Epstein's blackberry must have received a few emails from GMs looking for starting pitching, especially with John Smoltz ready to come off the DL. ...

Career WAR Trifecta Quiz
Beyond the Box Score — ... "best player".  Holding on for five years at 2 WAR will add significant career value, but it doesn't impress me as much as two seasons of 5 WAR.  That aside, here are the ten sets of players.  Who has the most career WAR? Rickey Henderson, Mike Schmidt, Mickey Mantle Nolan Ryan, Phil Niekro, Bert Blyleven Robin Yount, Pete Rose, Carl Yastrzemski Tom Seaver, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux Curt Schilling, John Smoltz, Chipper Jones Albert Pujols, Frank ...

Braves Link Roundup: Looking for a Leader; Looking for Hitting; Missing Smoltz
Talking Chop — ... One of the last good sports journalists at the AJC, Mark Bradley, is happy that John Smoltz will not be facing the Braves next week. ...

Atlanta Braves - Boston Red Sox: Series Preview
Talking Chop — ... Q.  So, this John Smoltz guy, how is he going to fit into your rotation? Who gets booted from the rotation and are you excited to add him to your starting rotation? ...

Game 67: What do the Sox do with Dice-K?
Over the Monster — ... Let's hand it to Dice-K: at least he admits it when he's bad. But he's really on to something. What are the Red Sox going to do? The Sox have a surplus of extra arms just chomping at the bit to get to the bigs in John Smoltz, ...

Game 71: Playing the Nats is nice
Over the Monster — ... The series finishes Thursday with a highly-anticipated start from John Smoltz, who is making his Red Sox debut. The Nats will send out ...

GameThread: Boston Red Sox At Washington Nationals- Game 70 Or 71 Of 162.
Federal Baseball — ... Boston Red Sox @ Washington Nationals Thursday, Jun 25, 2009, 7:05 PM EDT Nationals Park John Smoltz vs Jordan Zimmermann --> Mostly clear. Game time temperature around 90. ?'s For The DC Faithful... • What Are The Chances That Zimmermann Outshines Smoltz? • Are You Worried About Dunn's Wrist? • Who Called That Change To Big Papi? A Lot Of Buck Passing ...

GameThread: Red Sox @ Nationals - June 25
Over the Monster — ... Boston Red Sox Over the Monster @ Washington Nationals Federal Baseball Thursday, Jun 25, 2009, 7:05 PM EDT Nationals Park John Smoltz vs Jordan Zimmermann --> Mostly clear. Game time temperature around 90. Complete Coverage > ...

Game 72: Smoltz loses Sox debut
Over the Monster — ... Normal 0 Well that didn't go quite like anyone hoped it would. John Smoltz's debut with the Boston Red Sox can pretty much be called a failure. Smoltz managed to go five innings, but he allowed five runs, seven hits, one walk and struck out five - all against the worst team in baseball (granted, it's not the bigs' worst offense in baseball). Smoltz, most likely, was a bit rusty. That's understandable. While no one can say Smoltz won't contribute this season, the fact of the ...

John Smoltz's Boston Red Sox Debut Ruined By Jordan Zimmermann!!! Nationals Beat Sox, 9-3 final.
Federal Baseball — ... , Steve Avery and John Smoltz, which enabled them to dominate the NL East for over a decade. Mr. Kasten was sure to preface the anecdote by saying, "I wouldn't compare anyone here to them," but everywhere you look, other people are, and I'm not sure if Detwiler's supposed to be Glavine or Avery, or which one ...

The Washington Nationals Are Good Friends
DRaysBay — ... the best slider in the league. Really, his slides are something else. Also, I was quite impressed with his read of Dioner Navarro's line drive. Some runners don't advance on that play, others do and get doubled up. Despite being a little wild at times, Kapler looks like a pretty nice signing. In other AL East team news. Angel Berroa was designated for assignment. Shucks. It's going to be quite a task for the Yankees to find someone quite as poor. John Smoltz was tapped around a bit against the Nationals. I wouldn't ...

Red Sox 4, Orioles 0: Like you're surprised?
Camden Chat — ... faces off against John Smoltz. Smoltz has pitched just one game this year, giving up 7 runs in 5 innings to the ...

GameThread: Red Sox (47-29) @ Orioles (34-42)
Camden Chat — ... 2009 - John Smoltz 0-1 1 1 0 0 0 0 5.0 7 5 5 0 1 5 9.00 1.60 ...

Game Story: Uncontrolled Bed-Wetting.
Over the Monster — ... Well, John Smoltz gave us something to look forward to. I have great faith that he'd have gone at least 6 while allowing no more than one additional run given how he looked through 4.  ...

Orioles 11, Red Sox 10: Greatest Comeback in Franchise History (you can look it up).
Camden Chat — ... down 4-0, I had myself convinced that John Smoltz was going to throw a no hitter. I really believed it. I had visions of John Kruk warbling on about John Smoltz's huge comeback as a ...

Some fun at the Red Sox expense
Pinstripe Alley — ... replaced John Smoltz and at first, it looked like more of the same. He retired the first six batters he faced until the 8th inning. ...

Put me in, coach
Viva El Birdos — ... for a pitching prospect named John Smoltz. Alexander, for most of his career, was an OK starting pitcher and Smoltz was a star for a Braves team that won about 74 division championships in a row. He’ll be a Hall of Famer, in all likelihood, and people often point to that trade as a bad one for the Tigers and a great one for the Braves. It clearly was a great one for the Braves, who weren’t going anywhere in 1987. However, Alexander had a 1.53 in 11 starts for the Tigers in 1987. His FIP was 3.20 in those 11 starts – 2nd only to his 1972 season in a 19 ...

Game 81: Sox win thanks to big 7th inning
Over the Monster — ... The big seventh inning was started thanks to an RBI by David Ortiz, who also homered in the first inning (with Dustin Pedroia). Jacoby Ellsbury walked with the bases loaded and Mark Kotsay hit a two-RBI single. Ellsbury capped the inning by scoring on a passed ball. Ellsbury also homered (solo shot) in the fifth. Hideki Okajima pitched a spotless ninth inning. The Sox host the A's -- and NOMAAAAHHHH -- Monday at 7:10. John Smoltz is on the hill.   ...

GameThread: A's @ Sox - July 6 - AKA NOMAAAAAH
Over the Monster — ... Oakland Athletics Athletics Nation @ Boston Red Sox Over the Monster Monday, Jul 6, 2009, 7:10 PM EDT Fenway Park Brett Anderson vs John Smoltz --> Partly cloudy. Game time temperature around 75. Complete Coverage > ...

Game 82: It's official -- Sox can't beat the West Coast
Over the Monster — ... 0 0 0 2 1 WP: Brett Anderson (5 - 7) LP: John Smoltz (0 - 2) Complete Coverage > ...

GameThread: A's @ Sox - July 7
Over the Monster — ... WP: Brett Anderson ( - ) LP: John Smoltz ( - ) ...

The Case for Bob Apodaca: Headcases and Ground Balls
Purple Row — ... , Denny Neagle, and John Burkett, which should give credence to the influence of the best pitching coach around. However, he also was the man who coached John Smoltz, ...

GameThread: A's @ Red Sox - July 8
Over the Monster — ... WP: Brett Anderson ( - ) LP: John Smoltz ( - ) ...

Kill the rumors now: Roy Halladay will not be a Red Sox
Over the Monster — ... Do you remember back a few months when everyone was freaking out about how the Sox would fit John Smoltz into the rotation? And, at the same time, ...

Would You?
The Good Phight — ... , giving up five future big-leaguers for what turned out to be a one-year rental. Even a one-for-one trade, like John Smoltz for  ...

Game 87 Open Thread - Royals (37-49) at Red Sox (52-34)
Royals Review — Thanks to tonight's pitching matchup, Gil Meche against John Smoltz, the Royals have a chance to guarantee at least a series split. Royals vs Red Sox coverage, Over the Monster

GameThread: Royals @ Red Sox - July 11
Over the Monster — ... Kansas City Royals Royals Review @ Boston Red Sox Over the Monster Saturday, Jul 11, 2009, 7:10 PM EDT Fenway Park Gil Meche vs John Smoltz --> Partly cloudy. Game time temperature around 70. Complete Coverage > ...

Game 88: The offense is alive!
Over the Monster — ... 3 3 1 2 0 0 3 3 X 15 12 1 WP: John Smoltz (1 - 2) LP: Gil Meche (4 - 9) ...

GameThread: Royals @ Red Sox - July 12
Over the Monster — ... WP: John Smoltz ( - ) ...

Blogger Smackdown: Martin Gandy Of Talking Chop
Amazin' Avenue — ... . Those two guys give the Braves two power strikeout pitchers to compensate for the loss/retirement of John Smoltz (I know he didn't retire, but whatever). These are the kinds of pitchers who can come up big in big games, especially in the playoffs. ...

Game 91: Halladay handles Sox, Lester
Over the Monster — ... first inning. Dustin Pedroia scored. Ortiz and Mark Kotsay each had a hit, but Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis led the team with two hits apiece. Manny Delcarmen allowed just one hit in his 8th inning of work. Losing a series to the Blue Jays to start the second half is not the way you want to get things started. The Sox can pick it up, though, if they travel to Texas and can win a 3-game series against the Rangers starting Monday. John Smoltz will be on the mound for an 8 p.m. start time. ...

Graph of the Day: Notable Mid-season Deals
Beyond the Box Score — ... in 1987 and pitched quite well down the stretch, helping the Tigers to the playoffs.  The pitcher who went the other way?  None other than John Smoltz. ...

Series Preview: 7/20-7/23 Tampa Bay Rays @ Chicago White Sox
DRaysBay — ... Meanwhile, Boston is in Texas for three then plays the O's. Those probable pitchers are: John Smoltz/Kevin Milwood; ...

GameThread: Red Sox @ Rangers - July 20
Over the Monster — ... John Smoltz on the hill in Texas. Let's get back to that thing we called 'winning.' Go Sox.

Pitching and defense: Another 2-1 win
Pinstripe Alley — ... do pitchers get to home just a tad late to nail the runner. "Pick me out a winner." Matsui's game-winning homer was like something out of The Natural. He broke his bat on a 2-0 foul, got a new bat, and three pitches later launched the capper in the bottom of the ninth. Two hours and 34 minutes - brilliant! The only other run came on Eric Hinske's fourth Yankee homer (in only five games). As I write this, John Smoltz is unraveling down in Texas as the Rangers now lead the ...

Tuesday a.m. Rangers things
Lone Star Ball — ... See, we need more games like last night's.  Everyone would be happier. Evan Grant says that the Rangers' approach with John Smoltz was to keep things simple -- Michael Young, in the pre-game meeting about how to approach Smoltz, simply said he was going to get a fastball and was going to hit it.  And that worked out pretty well last night. Jeff Wilson writes that the Hamilton to Kinsler to Salty relay to the plate to cut down Mike Lowell helped spark the team. C.J. Wilson got the ...

GT: 7/21/09 @Rangers
Over the Monster — ... since a three-game slide from May 13-15, has dropped the team into a first-place tie with the rival New York Yankees in the American League East race. After dropping a pair of tilts in Toronto over the weekend, the Red Sox were handed a 6-3 setback by the Rangers in Monday's opener of this three-game set. Texas' win was fueled by a five-run sixth inning in which Michael Young, David Murphy and Jarrod Saltalamacchia all homered off Red Sox starter John Smoltz. Young finished 3-for-4 on the evening, while both Murphy and ...

LaRoche Joins Former Braves Mates in Boston
Sports Page Atlanta — What do J.D. Drew, Mark Kotsay, Nick Green, John Smoltz, and Adam LaRoche all have in common? If you said, they are all members of the Boston Red Sox, then you're correct. The Red Sox acquired former Atlanta Braves first baseman Adam LaRoche today in exchange for two minor leaguers. That's a lot of ex-Braves on one team. As for the Pirates, they continue to completely unload their team in what must be the seventh or eighth rebuilding process in the last 15 years. For every ...

Around the Yankee Universe: Let's talk football
Pinstripe Alley — ... not a Yankee story, but it does concern the Bronx Bombers. Seems the media in Boston is calling for a mid-season overhaul of the Red Sox roster -- including a deal for Roy Halladay. Epstein has to have his hands in the Roy Halladay hunt. No longer can anyone say pitching is not a need for the Red Sox. The once-deep rotation is now minus 11-game winner Tim Wakefield and Daisuke Matsuzaka, with two No. 5 starters in John Smoltz and Brad Penny who aren’t cutting it, and a ...

Part 3 of the D-Backs Deadline Possbilities: The Jon Garland Trade Market
AZ Snakepit — ... : The Sox are one of those rare contending teams who were actually looking to possibly trade a starter for a bat, at least before a few injuries set in and fudged things up a bit.  They have a surplus of starters with an even greater surplus of questions marks attached to them - faux-All-Star Tim Wakefield is now on the DL with a strained back, Dice-K is on the DL with a case of suckitude, John Smoltz has been shaky to the tune of a 6.31 ERA in his time in Boston, ...

Game 96: "Yar, matey! I see offense!"
Over the Monster — ... That's two in a row. Today the Sox look for the series sweep with John Smoltz on the mound. Also, Jim Rice's number will be retired today. That'll be a great sight to see. ...

Baltimore Orioles (41-54) at Boston Red Sox (56-39), 1:35 AM PDT
Camden Chat — ... 2009 - John Smoltz 1-3 5 5 0 0 0 0 25.2 33 18 18 3 4 22 6.31 1.44 ...

Game Thread -- Orioles @ Red Sox -- July 25
Over the Monster — ... Baltimore Orioles Camden Chat @ Boston Red Sox Over the Monster Sunday, Jul 26, 2009, 1:35 PM EDT Fenway Park David Hernandez vs John Smoltz --> Partly cloudy. Winds blowing out to left field at 5-15 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 80.   Complete Coverage > ...

Game 97: Smoltz rocked, Sox lose
Over the Monster — ... 1 0 0 1 0 2 6 0 WP: David Hernandez (3 - 2) LP: John Smoltz (1 - 4) Complete ...

Junichi Tazawa promoted to Pawtucket
Over the Monster — ... down in AAA. Now Tazawa is there, too. The starting pitching is just ridiculous at this point. Here's a couple of no-doubters: John Smoltz won't be back next year, neither will ...

Clayton Kershaw is not for sale at any price
True Blue LA — ... mentioned this Bill James rule. Bill James once wrote about how, if a big league pitchers strikes out 15 or more in a game while not walking anyone, you can conclude that he probably will be an outstanding big league pitcher. It’s one of those persuasive achievements. Look: Twenty-one pitchers have pulled it off since 1954 … Dominant, Hall-of-Fame-type pitchers (9): Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez, Luis Tiant*, John Smoltz, Curt Schilling*, Johan Santana, Nolan Ryan, ...

Orioles 7, Royals 3. Hey, there was a game today!
Camden Chat — ... On 105.7 FM, he told their reporter " Yeah, I thought it was broken, I got to the dugout and fell down. The pain was bad, I wanted to throw up. The X-rays said no break, and I hope that’s the case. They said sometimes with swelling a hairline (fracture) can be hidden with swelling, we’ll know tomorrow when the swelling goes down."   Here's hoping it's nothing more than a nasty sprain. The Boston Red Sox come into town tomorrow, and let's just hope John Smoltz pitches as bad tomorrow as he did on Sunday. Royals vs ...

Morning Prowl: The Price For Roy Halladay, Pursuit of a Third Baseman, and Blaming Lloyd McClendon
Bless You Boys — ...   I know there's been some healthy disagreement as to whether or not the Tigers should accept those terms.  Some of us over-value prospects, while others want to win at all costs.  (Just don't bring John Smoltz into the argument, okay?  That was 20 years ago.)  I feel like you have to win the World Series if you make a deal like this.  But is "trading the farm," so to speak, for an elite player worth it?  ...

Angels: We Will Win With What We Got
Halos Heaven — ... traded a prospect for "proven" veteran Doyle Alexander in 1989. They won the division, lost to the A's and didn' make the playoffs again until 2006. The prospect's name was John Smoltz. ...

Red Sox (59-42) at Orioles (44-57)
Camden Chat — ... 2009 - John Smoltz 1-4 6 6 0 0 0 0 30.2 42 24 24 4 5 28 7.04 1.53 ...

GT: Red Sox @ O's - July 31
Over the Monster — ... Boston Red Sox Over the Monster @ Baltimore Orioles Camden Chat Friday, Jul 31, 2009, 7:05 PM EDT Oriole Park at Camden Yards John Smoltz vs Jeremy Guthrie --> Partly cloudy,rain. Winds blowing from left to right field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 85. Complete Coverage > ...

Red Sox 6, Orioles 5: Just enough not to win. Again.
Camden Chat — ... The Orioles had just about every chance you could ask for to win last night. John Smoltz of the Red Sox was rocked the last time the O’s faced him, which was Saturday. The Red Sox, aside from the series with us, of course, have been reeling since the All-Star Break. Their bench was thin, with the trade of ...

Game 102: Sox comeback to beat O's
Over the Monster — ... WP: John Smoltz (2 - 4) SV: Jonathan Papelbon (27) LP: Jeremy Guthrie (7 - 10) ...

GT: Red Sox @ Orioles - Aug. 1
Over the Monster — ... WP: John Smoltz (2 - 4) ...

Game 108: They may have had our number, but tonight we'll have theirs.
Pinstripe Alley — ... gets the ball tonight, and despite losing in his last meeting with the Sox, he blanked 12 in 5 innings, and subsequently opened the floodgates of ire towards Girardi and his haphazard managerial moves. Tonight our prodigal son will go up against a guy who inspired the following claim from an old Boston pal: "You'll probably win.  I think we send out Smoltzuzaka that day." Though most likely a thinly veiled jinx effort, you can't ignore the fact the Sox hurler is entering Wang-territory, ERA-wise (9.18 since the ASB) And there's those numbers again. ...

GT: Red Sox @ Yankees - Aug. 6
Over the Monster — ... Boston Red Sox Over the Monster @ New York Yankees Pinstripe Alley Thursday, Aug 6, 2009, 7:05 PM EDT Yankee Stadium John Smoltz vs Joba Chamberlain --> Mostly cloudy,rain. Winds blowing out to right field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 80. Complete Coverage > ...

Long time coming: Yankees win 13-6
Pinstripe Alley — ... , but it didn't really matter as John Smoltz was much, much worse. It looked like it might be another disappointing night when ...

Game 107: That was ugly; Yanks smoke Sox
Over the Monster — ... 1 1 0 X 13 18 0 WP: Joba Chamberlain (8 - 2) LP: John Smoltz (2 - 5) Complete ...

Friday Morning Baseball Headlines
Bleed Cubbie Blue — ... this evening. Tonight's game preview post will be up at 6 pm CDT for the 8:10 pm CDT start. Rick Morrissey channels our own BLou in his whiny, sky-is-falling column about Kevin Gregg. Hey, Rick: many pitchers have a "dead arm" phase at this time of the season. Gregg will be just fine. Phil Rogers says the Cubs will "pull away" and win the NL Central. Uh-oh. Meanwhile, Lou Piniella says the Cardinals are the "team to beat". John Smoltz could have retired at the end of last year and gone into the ...

Boston Red Sox pitcher John Smoltz may be nearing the end after another rough night
Sports Page Atlanta — ... 2009 from Bleed Cubbie Blue - 1 comment Game 107: That was ugly; Yanks smoke Sox Aug 2009 from Over the Monster - 7 comments Long time coming: Yankees win 13-6 Aug 2009 from Pinstripe Alley - 11 comments Red Sox 6, Orioles 5: Just enough not to win. Again. Aug 2009 from Camden Chat - 23 comments Angels: We Will Win With What We Got Jul 2009 from Halos Heaven - 213 comments Read More: John Smoltz (P - BOS) , Atlanta Braves , Boston Red Sox Comments Display: Join ...

Lunchtime Prowl: Porcello's Slider, The Tao of Knapp, Washburn's Fastball, and a Rendering of a Seay-Lyon
Bless You Boys — ... starting rotation, Magglio Ordonez, and Jim Leyland's in-game smoking habits.  Click on over and give Joe's new show a listen.    Also late on this one: FOXSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi thinks the Tigers and White Sox might have the starting rotations to upset the Yankees and Red Sox, who didn't pick up any starting pitching at the deadline, in the playoffs. (Incidentally, are you glad the Tigers didn't sign John Smoltz in the offseason?  He was brutal last night ...

Breaking news: Red Sox DFA John Smoltz
Over the Monster — ... have reportedly designated John Smoltz for assignment. This has been reported by Terry Francona on a WEEI interview and by Amalie Benjamin via Twitter. ...

GT: Red Sox @ Yankees - Aug. 7
Over the Monster — ... WP: Joba Chamberlain (8 - 2) LP: John Smoltz (2 - 5) ...

BYOBYB: Saturday Afternoon Open Thread
Bless You Boys — ... I understand that 300-400 comments is a lot to scroll through if you're just checking in, but looking to see if something has already been discussed - more than once, mind you - isn't too much to ask, is it?)  Anyway, it's a new day, so if you want to talk about it, here you go.  Rios was claimed on waivers by a team, most likely the White Sox.  Do the Sox want to add Rios to their team, or was this to block a possible claim by the Tigers? John Smoltz looks like the best move the Tigers didn't make over the ...

GT: Red Sox @ Yankees - Aug. 8
Over the Monster — ... WP: Joba Chamberlain (8 - 2) LP: John Smoltz (2 - 5) ...

There Is, Apparently, Life After The Cubs: Cubs vs. Rockies Preview, Saturday 8/8, 7:10 CT
Bleed Cubbie Blue — ... Right now, I don't see anyone out there who would be available by waiver deal -- and who wouldn't cost a lot in terms of players or money -- who could really help the Cubs. I don't want John Smoltz -- I think he's done -- and with ...

GT: Red Sox @ Yankees - Aug. 9
Over the Monster — ... WP: Joba Chamberlain (8 - 2) LP: John Smoltz (2 - 5) ...

Monday Morning Astros, etc Round Up
The Crawfish Boxes — ... through the minor leagues since he has not displayed the strikeout ability that Lyles has. Time will tell, and with both players being well under 20 years old, the future can't get here fast enough for Astros' fans.  Could Billy Beane be Big Apple bound someday soon? That would be pretty cool to see- Mr. Moneyball with money to spend. Two veteran players were given their walking papers this week, as Jason Giambi was released by Oakland, and John Smoltz was designated for assignment by the BoSox. Josh ...

2009 NL Wild Card: the Los Angeles Dodgers?
Purple Row — ... practices start this week for UNC. David Eckstein didn't want to be traded to a contender.  Not only is he a gritty gamer, but he's unselfish as well.  He actually wants to help stick around San Diego and help influence Padres rebuilding plan. The Friars hope to rebuild via arms a la Braves of the 90's.  Aaron Poreda, Clayton Richard, Mat Latos and Adys Portillo surely won't become Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Steve Avery, but it's still the right plan. ...

This Week's Poll: Best Move Tigers Didn't Make?
Bless You Boys — ... After giving up eight runs in less than four innings versus the Yankees last week, John Smoltz was released by the Boston Red Sox, and it appeared that his career might be over.  (As it turns out, perhaps not, because several teams are interested in giving him a look.)  In light of that development, my first thought was, "Whew!  The Tigers dodged a bullet on that one."  Remember when he was being viewed as a possible closer?)  Others might be thinking, "Hey, Smoltz is ...

Game 112: Tigers at Red Sox
Bless You Boys — ... Junichi Tazawa makes his first start for Boston, taking what would've been John Smoltz's turn in the starting rotation.  He'll be pitching against a team ...

John Smoltz refuses assignment to Triple-A Pawtucket
Over the Monster — ... John Smoltz refused an assignment to Triple-A Pawtucket, leaving the Red Sox to trade or release the future Hall of Famer, according to FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal: A trade is possible because Smoltz has cleared waivers, and the Dodgers are among the teams showing interest. But any deal would require a significant financial component due to the incentives in Smoltz's contract. Smoltz, 42, receives about $35,000 for each day he is on the active roster and other appearance-based bonuses. He also receives ...

John Smoltz as a bullpen option for the Braves... maybe
Sports Page Atlanta — ... When one first takes a look at the 8.32 ERA, the .341 batting average against, and the 1.70 WHIP, your first thought is probably not, "those are John Smoltz' 2009 numbers." Those numbers more closely resemble an ...

RHRUI v. St. Louis Cardinals
Viva El Birdos — ... order to add a reliever whose responsibility would extend to just a couple of batters. Finally, Blake Hawksworth has been sensational in relief over the last few weeks and he gives Manager La Russa a third option already on the roster should Motte or McClellan prove they can’t handle the job. Judge Birdos: Mr. b – you may call your first witness. Mr. b: Your honor – I call John Smoltz to the stand. Bailiff: Please ...

Your 2010 budget...
AZ Snakepit — ... If they decide they don’t want to pick up his $8.5 million option for 2010, will they try to renegotiate and give him an incentive-laden deal a la John Smoltz or ...

For once, the Epstein's puzzle pieces do not fit
Over the Monster — ... Moves like trading for Gonzalez or designating John Smoltz for assignment could, in some way, cry of desperate measures. Epstein is trying to build a winning team, but it seems like everything that he's tried has had no effect on the club. ...

Red Sox release John Smoltz
Over the Monster — ... Officially, John Smoltz is no longer a Red Sox. Smoltz was cut earlier today: Smoltz, 42, does not intend to retire and is open to joining clubs as a starter or reliever, a source told Rosenthal over the weekend. The Red Sox are now obligated to pay the remainder of the one-year, $5.5 million contract Smoltz signed in the offseason. If Smoltz signs with another team, Boston would receive an offset of the pro-rated minimum salary. Under that scenario, Smoltz's new team would not pay him any bonuses ...

Huff to Detroit. Try and find a decent bar THERE, Aubrey.
Camden Chat — ... Huff, 32, batted .253 (109-430) with 13 home runs and 72 RBI in 110 games for the Orioles this season.  He hit his 200th career home run on July 31 off of John Smoltz.  Huff signed a three-year contract with the Orioles on January 3, 2007 as a free agent.  He was voted Most Valuable Oriole in 2008, batting .304 with 32 home runs and 108 RBI. ...

Help me, Giants Fans! With Grumblings on Rios (sigh), Thome, and none on Strasburg
Driveline Mechanics — ... the Underachiever: Sorry come back to Alex Rios after the topic's been beat into the ground on the internet the last week or so, but I when I read Stark's column, I couldn't help myself. It seems like there's a higher than usual amount of quotes about player "attitude" in quotes from (predictably) anonymous players, executives, and scouts in this Stark column. I'm not going after Stark on this one. It's his job to report this stuff. Without going through all of it (predictable "John Smoltz would be a great veteran influence on a young team!" and ...

"With the anticipated addition of Tim Hudson in the near future, we have not pursued John Smoltz,"...
Sports Page Atlanta — ... Mechanics - 7 comments Monday Afternoon Linkaliciousness Aug 2009 from Lone Star Ball - 212 comments Huff to Detroit. Try and find a decent bar THERE, Aubrey. Aug 2009 from Camden Chat - 76 comments Red Sox release John Smoltz Aug 2009 from Over the Monster - 23 comments Red Sox Release John Smoltz Aug 2009 from MLB Daily Dish - 2 comments Read More: Tim Hudson (P - ATL) , John Smoltz (P - BOS) , Atlanta Braves Comments Display: [image] Hmm looks like ...

Should The Cubs Sign John Smoltz?
Bleed Cubbie Blue — ... When John Smoltz was pounded by the Yankees on August 6 at Yankee Stadium, and subsequently designated for assignment by the Red Sox, some here wondered whether it might be a good idea for the Cubs to take a flyer on him. On August 6 the Cubs were tied for first place, were two games ahead of the Cardinals in the loss column, had just gotten an outstanding first outing out of Tom Gorzelanny, and things looked pretty good. So I said, "Why bother?" Since then -- not so much. The Cubs are 3-7 ...

John Smoltz: What's Left in the Tank?
Beyond the Box Score — ... John Smoltz is now a free-agent. Will he retire or get a job in someone's bullpen? If someone does pick him up, what's he got left? ...

Afternoon Bullet Points
Lookout Landing — Anybody who's unclear on Ackley's contract situation should go read Dave's post on Major League deals. Basically, there's no reason for either party to be displeased. Both John Smoltz and Vicente Padilla are currently free agents. I'd like to know why any team would choose to talk with the latter. Padilla's a worthless pile of crap who I have on good authority doubles as a crazy person. John Smoltz is a pretty decent pitcher with an awful ERA. Among 191 starters with at least 30 innings pitched on the year, here's ...

John Smoltz to sign with Cardinals
Sports Page Atlanta — Former Atlanta Braves legend John Smoltz is set to join his third team in the last 12 months. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has the scoop: Free agent pitcher John Smoltz will accept the Cardinals' offer to join the club as its fifth starter after clearing waivers at noon (St. Louis time) today, barring an unforeseen waiver claim, multiple sources said Tuesday. There was some talk that the Dodgers and Marlins also had interest in Smoltz, but it looks ...

John Smoltz set to sign with Cardinals
Over the Monster — ... It looks like John Smoltz has a new home, and is anyone surprised it's in the National League?: Right-hander John Smoltz will sign Wednesday with the St. Louis Cardinals if he clears waivers, according to an online report. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, citing "multiple sources," reports on its Web site that Smoltz will join the club and become its fifth starter, replacing rookie Mitchell Boggs. Boggs was the losing pitcher Tuesday night as the Cardinals fell 7-3 to the Los Angeles Dodgers. ...

Lunchtime Prowl: D-Train's Pitching, Huff the RBI Man, Smoltz Talk, and Reviewing Comerica Park
Bless You Boys — ... just not going to catch on, is it?  Sorry, Billfer.)  After taking another day to think about it, Fire Jim Leyland thinks acquiring Huff was "a move just to make a move."  Mike wrote more about the deal for Beyond the Box Score, comparing the trade to Dave Dombrowski rearranging furniture in his basement.   Did you catch Terry Foster spreading a rumor on Facebook that Dombrowski and John Smoltz had lunch over the weekend?  Foster added an update ...

Tom Glavine signs with...
Sports Page Atlanta — With John Smoltz signing with the Cardinals, fellow long-time Atlanta Braves rotation-mate Tom Glavine won't be outdone... Former Atlanta Braves pitcher Tom Glavine will pitch AirTran Airways on billboards and radio spots in the Atlanta area. AirTran announced Glavine's signing on Thursday. Terms were not disclosed. Gotcha! I wonder if he'll wear a Braves uniform in the ads. Strange that they use a guy who was released from the team this ...

Dueling with the Devil a.k.a. Talking with a Yankee fan
Over the Monster — ... Me:  No it hasn't, not when Dice-K goes into Hideki Irabu-mode and John Smoltz pulls a post-Dodger Kevin Brown. The good thing is that ...

Could John Smoltz face the Atlanta Braves as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals
Sports Page Atlanta — ... Earlier in the year when John Smoltz was coming back from injury and returning to the rotation of the ...

Game 126 Open Thread -- August 23, 2009
Viva El Birdos — ... Is it me or does there just seem to be an insane amount of hype about this game? I should point out that I've always been a tremendous John Smoltz fan. Great fastball. Great slider. Great splitter. Hard thrower. Fighter. Let's keep in mind, however, that the man is 42 years old, has thrown exactly 68 innings in 2 years, and hasn't pitched in 17 days -- when the ...

Padres lose to Cardinals 5-2, Albert Pujols gets super mad
Gaslamp Ball — ... hitters that John Smoltz is real old. Taking nothing away from the guy, but he's old. Then again, it's the Padres and they're young and prone to being super impressed by old people. ...

Triple Play Applesauce - Wagner to BoSox possible, Brooklyn no-hitter, Minaya back to Mets for 2010
Amazin' Avenue — ... yet on the DL. In random statistics, the Marlins are quickly approaching their 1,000th batter hit by pitch. Philadelphia put Greg Dobbs on the disabled list and called up slappy Miguel Cairo. Around MLB Fire Jim Bowden argues that Adam Dunn is as bad defensively as his fielding metrics say. Armando Benitez is going to Houston, or at least Houston's triple-A farm team.  John Smoltz struck out 9 over 5 innings in his Cardinal debut. ...

MONDAY ANGELS ROUNDUP: Mike Scioscia Says Angels Need 5th Starter, Notices Sky Is Blue
Halos Heaven — ... way because of the leg injury and I knew I was limited. But I continue to work out in the outfield. I take fly balls off the bat (in pre-game workouts). "In that regard, I still see myself as a guy who can contribute in the outfield." Vladimir Guerrero: What To Do With an Aging Slugger? - Bleacher Report Only Vlad could look so bad and still be so good. Old hands starting to deliver for new teams - USATODAY.com St. Louis Cardinals right-hander John Smoltz, released by the Boston Red Sox last Monday, and ...

Bits on a Monday
Bluebird Banter — ... non-issue. Any two of the three you write off as crappy luck and still no one can draw too much inference. But three? Three smells funny. But the thing about unusual events is that they are rare (thus the "unusual" part) but they DO happen (thus the "events" part). What we have here was an unusual event - three unfortunate circumstances which HAPPENED to occur at once.  Around the baseball world, as well as the game ending triple play for the Phillies, John Smoltz, released by the Red Sox for the 8.32 ERA, had a ...

Down The Stretch: The 2009 Playoff Scene
AZ Snakepit — ... , hitting .317 and with 40 home runs. Their have a solid starting rotation (including the addition of John Smoltz) and a fabulous closer ( ...

This Week's Poll: Which Tiger Would Eat the Most Eggs?
Bless You Boys — ... (which I clearly need), shoot me an e-mail.  Please add your thoughts in the comments. How did our last poll go? No one liked the Putz, eh?  Yeah, this season would likely be much, much different if the Tigers had traded for J.J. Putz instead of Edwin Jackson.  Possibly the best consolation prize ever. What's the best move the Tigers didn't make this offseason? 19%  Sign John Smoltz 42%  Trade for J.J. Putz 29% ...

Low risk, high reward: Not a complete failure, but close
Over the Monster — ... Teixeira this offseason, Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein went a different direction. He decided (once he was burned by Teixeira) that he'd sign a few guys that were comparatively cheap, but their upsides could be good enough to make a real impact. Now, with September just a few days away, the strategy seems almost like a complete failure. The three players that fall under the "low risk, high reward" umbrella are as follows: Brad Penny, John Smoltz and Takashi Saito. Please hold back your laughter -- if ...

The Difference Between Boston and Tampa Bay
DRaysBay — ... mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} As I'm sure everyone has noticed, the Boston Red Sox have released John Smoltz and Brad Penny within a week of each other. The number one ...

GameThread: Washington Nationals At St. Louis Cardinals - Game 129 Of 162.
Federal Baseball — ... Washington Nationals @ St. Louis Cardinals Friday, Aug 28, 2009, 8:15 PM EDT Busch Stadium John Lannan vs John Smoltz --> Partly cloudy,rain. Winds blowing in from center field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 75. ?'s For The DC Faithful... • So DC Took 2 Of 3 From The Cubs, Can They Beat The NL Central's Leader? • Can The Nationals Beat Smoltz Like He's Still A ...

Game 129: Pujols + Hanging Slider = Ballgame.
Federal Baseball — ... (+ .0198) could've been teh Her0 if it hadn't been for Pujols. John Smoltz (+ 0.253) doesn't get the win, but impresses anyone, giving up just 4 H and 1 ER while striking out 6. Dunn (- 0.120), 0 for 4, 2 K's, Runner-Up G0At to Bergmann's hanger, er, um slider... ...

Albert Pujols Hits A Walk-Off Winner, St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 Over Washington Nationals.
Federal Baseball — ... It wasn't the same John Smoltz on the mound tonight in St. Louis that Washington fans saw in Nationals Park with the ...

Right handed relief
Viva El Birdos — ... , but our righties leave something to be desired. I was hoping that John Smoltz could come in and fill that role but he’s been too good in the rotation, particularly in light of the injuries to and ineffectiveness of ...

Game Thread #133: Brewers (64-68) at Cardinals (79-55)
Brew Crew Ball — ... Milwaukee Brewers Brew Crew Ball @ St. Louis Cardinals Viva El Birdos Thursday, Sep 3, 2009, 1:15 PM CDT Busch Stadium Manny Parra vs John Smoltz --> Sunny. Winds blowing from right to left field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 80. Complete Coverage > ...

Brewers 4, Cardinals 3
Brew Crew Ball — ... W: Manny Parra (10-10) L: John Smoltz (3-6) S: Trevor Hoffman (30) HR: Casey McGehee (13), Julio Lugo (3), Matt Holliday (21) MVP: Casey McGehee (+.242) LVP: David Weathers (-.175) Win Expectancy Graph SBNation Coverage And somehow, Manny Parra owns the Cardinals. Despite posting an ERA over 7 against the rest of baseball, Manny Parra has pitched well against the Cardinals in each of his four outings against them, posting a 2.42 ERA in 26 ...

Wow! Peter Moylan, in all his craziness, has shaved his head to imitate the "rally head" that John...
Sports Page Atlanta — ... relief Aug 2009 from Viva El Birdos - 133 comments Albert Pujols Hits A Walk-Off Winner, St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 Over Washington Nationals. Aug 2009 from Federal Baseball - 3 comments Game 129: Pujols + Hanging Slider = Ballgame. Aug 2009 from Federal Baseball - 10 comments The Difference Between Boston and Tampa Bay Aug 2009 from DRaysBay - 78 comments Read More: Peter Moylan (P - ATL) , John Smoltz (P - STL) , Atlanta Braves Comments Display: Join the community and dive in! ...

Happy Birthday Doyle Alexander
Bluebird Banter — ... It is Doyle Alexander's 59th birthday today. Doyle pitched for us from the middle of the 1983 season until the middle of the 1986 season when we traded him to Atlanta for Duane Ward. Atlanta made a better deal trading him a year later to Detroit for John Smoltz  He won 17 games for us in 1984 and 85 and is ...

For Next Season, a Plea for Dave Duncan
Amazin' Avenue — ... . Lohse was 15-6 last season with a 3.78 ERA. He's been injured this season, so there isn't much of a sample size there, but I think the turn around is significant. John Smoltz had several bad starts in Boston before being released. In his first start as a Card he resembled the Smoltz of old, and he claimed that Duncan had helped him tremendously. Granted, his starts were against last place teams, but he's put up a 0.82 ERA since leaving Boston where he was 2-5 with an ERA of 8.33. Admittedly, these two example are shaky ground to base an argument on, but ...

Justin Verlander is an Iron Horse
Beyond the Box Score — ... superior league and, by extension, the one which offers a tougher assignment for pitchers. Rather than compare ages and performance on a staff level, I simply wanted to know whether the young pitchers were holding their own. Any way I slice it, inherent selection bias resides. The youngsters like Rick Porcello, Brett Anderson, and Trevor Cahill are stellar young talents reaching the majors before most young pitchers. Meanwhile, do you think Tim Wakefield, John Smoltz, and Andy Pettitte stick around if not for some ...

Game Thread #138: Cardinals (82-57) at Brewers (66-71)
Brew Crew Ball — ... St. Louis Cardinals Viva El Birdos @ Milwaukee Brewers Brew Crew Ball Tuesday, Sep 8, 2009, 7:05 PM CDT Miller Park John Smoltz vs Manny Parra --> Mostly clear. p.h. Game time temperature around 70.   Complete Coverage > ...

Series Preview: Seattle Mariners @ Texas Rangers
Lookout Landing — ... then the Rangers have gone 20-16 with a +31 run differential while the Mariners have gone 18-18 with a -13 run differential. While Seattle's only bright spot over the past ~month has been defense, Texas has been about average or better at everything, turning itself into a more legitimate contender. They've been able to stay with Boston, and while no one would tell you that Texas is the better team, it's no longer a laughable suggestion, and the completely retarded decision to drop John Smoltz (and ...

Don't be fooled: Daisuke Matsuzaka's performance tonight will be huge
Over the Monster — ... In a season that has had all the smoothness of a turbulent airplane flight, the Sox carry some depressing numbers on the back of their rotation: In the 47 games started by Matsuzaka, John Smoltz, ...

At Least They Can't Clinch This Weekend: Cubs vs. Cardinals, Friday 9/18, 7:15 CT
Bleed Cubbie Blue — ... 2009 - John Smoltz 1-1 4 4 0 0 0 0 22.0 19 8 8 2 1 28 3.27 ...

Cardinals vs. Cubs: A Thorough, Poetic Recap
Viva El Birdos — ... until the magic number is Kerry Robinson. But a series like that, I thought, can't be summed up in prose.  ONE MAN'S REMARKS ON THE OCCASION OF THE CARDINALS PLAYING THE CUBS A SESTINA There is a rivalry, the Cardinals, playing Whitman's game of base, encounter every year: the Cubs, Anson's orphans, aught eight's terrors. Divisions, simple pride, their worth, red and blue across the field. Encounter one: John Smoltz can't field a first attempt at Cubs and Cardinals; ...

Washington Nationals Seeking FA/SP/WNPA.
Federal Baseball — ... Show", Mr. Boswell reported that DC GM Mike Rizzo was, "looking at a list" of potential free agent targets on the pitching market this winter which included, amongst others: "...Jason Marquis, Randy Wolf, John Lackey, Cliff Lee, Jon Garland, Kevin Millwood, Tim Hudson, Brad Penny, Joel Piñeiro, Braden Looper, Jarrod Washburn, Brandon Webb, Brett Myers (and) John Smoltz..."  "Some of them may have ...

Prognosis: John Smoltz
Driveline Mechanics — ... With few exceptions, there are two reasons that most professional athletes hang up the spikes and retire: Declining skills and injury. In June of 2008, John Smoltz, then 41 years old, went under the knife and it appeared likely that one of these outcomes had found him in the same way as it had many others. The surgery was performed by Dr. James Andrews, who found damage to the joint capsule and the glenoid labrum. The torn labrum was famously (and somewhat hyperbolically) described by WIll Carroll as such a debilitating injury that, " ...

Is there tension between the Braves' manager and GM?
Sports Page Atlanta — ... Cox was unhappy at the way the John Smoltz issue had been handled, the source said, and because he had not been kept up to speed on other personnel decisions. The relationship appears to have been patched up, although the parting with ...

Reflection
Viva El Birdos — ... for Julio Lugo may actually be the best move Mozeliak made all year. Bringing in John Smoltz was just gravy. There are, of course, some dark spots, as ...

St. Louis Cardinals at Houston Astros, Sep 23, 2009 7:05 PM CDT
The Crawfish Boxes — ... St. Louis Cardinals Viva El Birdos @ Houston Astros The Crawfish Boxes Wednesday, Sep 23, 2009, 7:05 PM CDT Minute Maid Park John Smoltz vs Bud Norris --> Cloudy. Winds blowing in from center field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 75. Complete Coverage > ...

.549 Winning % for 6 Straight Years
Halos Heaven — ... duration of the streak. And, on the occasions that the same manager was at the helm all the way through, I indicated that after a colon. Here goes: Yankees 1926-1943 Yankees 1946-1958 (Yogi Berra) Pirates 1901-1912 (Honus Wagner, Tommy Leach: Fred Clarke) Cardinals 1939-1949 (Enos Slaughter, Max Lanier) Cubs 1903-1913 (Johnny Evers) Braves 1991-2000 (Tom Glavine, John Smoltz: Bobby Cox) Giants 1916-1925 (George Kelly: ...

Dodgers Hope For Success The Fourth Time Around
True Blue LA — ... with a magic number of one to clinch the NL East over the Braves.  Pedro Martinez opposes Brian Moehler in that game.  The Dodgers hold a 1½-game lead over the Phillies in the race for home field advantage in the playoffs.  The Dodgers magic number in this regard is three over the Phillies. 4:05pm - Astros at Phillies Gameday The NL Central champion Cardinals are in Cincinnati to face the Reds, with John Smoltz facing the high straight leg kick of Bronson Arroyo ...

Game 158 Thread: Cardinals at Reds
Red Reporter — ... St. Louis Cardinals @ Cincinnati Reds Wednesday, Sep 30, 2009, 7:10 PM EDT Great American Ball Park John Smoltz vs Bronson Arroyo --> Clear. Winds blowing out to right field at 10-15 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 60.   Complete Coverage > ...

I'm gonna keep on loving you, Arroyo Speedwagon. Reds win, 6-1.
Red Reporter — ... John Smoltz complained that the game balls had not been properly rubbed with mud.  Obviously it didn't seem to affect Arroyo, but Bronson did share this interesting nugget: "They don't mud them up as much here as they do at other places. It was a cool night, and it's hard to hold on sometimes."  Could a mudding deficiency help explain some of our historically lackluster pitching? ...

A tale of two aces
Viva El Birdos — ... , and John Burkett in their rotation and John Smoltz in the pen. Though they won just 88 games in the regular season, they seemed potent. Johnson started game 1 for the D-backs but they couldn’t use Schilling until game 3 (or chose not to) after having to use him in game 5 against the Cards. He had 4 days rest, but would’ve had just 2 had he been used in game 2 so the D-backs went w/ ...

Game 159 Thread: Cardinals at Reds
Red Reporter — ... The day after John Smoltz was upset for not having his balls properly rubbed, the Cardinals send their ace out to try to salvage something from this series.  I'm sure you don't need a recap of Carpenter's career of dominance over the Reds, so I'll just point out that this season he has made 3 starts against Cincinnati and thrown 23 innings, allowing just 4 runs while striking out 18 and walking only one.  BUT, he has never faced Scot Rolen's Reds™.  He hasn't faced the team that has gone 25-11 in its last 36 games, averaging ...

Division Series Tuesday Notes
True Blue LA — ... Kevin Malone, now a member of ESPN's Sweet Spot network, breaks down the pitching of both teams heading into the NLDS. Jon Weisman of Dodger Thoughts breaks down the Dodger record this season by number of walks. Troy Glaus, out most of this season, will be on the Cardinals' roster for this series, but will likely be used mainly as a pinch hitter, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  Strauss also tells us that John Smoltz and Kyle Lohse, candidates to start game four, will be ...

Dodgers, Cardinals Set Rosters for NLDS
True Blue LA — ... (2): Yadier Molina, Jason LaRue Infielders (7): Albert Pujols, Skip Schumaker, Julio Lugo, Brendan Ryan, Mark DeRosa, Troy Glaus, Old Friend Joe Thurston Outfielders (4): Matt Holliday, Colby Rasmus, Ryan Ludwick, Rick Ankiel Starting Pitchers (4): Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, Joel Pineiro, one of John Smoltz or Kyle Lohse Relievers (8): Ryan Franklin, ...

After Two Days Of Waiting, Dodgers Should Preach Patience
True Blue LA — ... .  The Braves' starter that day was John Smoltz, who will be available in the bullpen for tonight's game and might start game four on Sunday. ...

The Big Book of Available Pitchers
Amazin' Avenue — ... health.  Though he's pitched well despite injury before, his most recent injury was the most significant of his career, a torn flexor tendon in his pitching elbow.  Who knows if he can come back strong, though he has been rehabbing all season long down in Texas.  At this point he seems too big a risk to bank on as a primary pitching acquisition. __________________________________________________________________________________________ John Smoltz After being shut down in September due to ...

Once more, for those in the back
Viva El Birdos — ... unhittable most of the summer, Pineiro’s August ERA was 4.19 and his September/October ERA was 4.98. After giving up 3 home runs in the first 4 months of the season, he gave up 3 in August and 5 in September/October. His walks are slightly up as well, but the biggest problem is that he’s not getting the ball down like he did earlier in the season. My guess is that Tony will have little patience with him today. I wouldn’t expect him to pitch deep into the game and we could see John Smoltz or ...

MLB Trade Rumors: Albert Pujols to Become a Free Agent?
FakeTeams — ... over at Foxsports.com yesterday, and now that the Cardinals have been eliminated from the playoffs, he is speculating that Albert Pujols could become a free agent when his contract runs out after the 2011 season. Pujols has always said he wants to play for a winner, and will not be so quick to sign a long-term extension this offseason until after he see what the Cardinals do to replace free agents Matt Holliday, Mark DeRosa, Joel Pineiro and John Smoltz. Here is an excerpt from him article: ...

Is New York Yankees' three-man rotation idea a good one?
Pinstripe Alley — ... and John Smoltz were all young and elastic. Cox would go on to try it six more times between 1996 and 2005, and the Braves didn't win even one of the games. ...

Busting out in the Divisional Round: Alex Rodriguez and Jeff Bagwell
The Crawfish Boxes — ... and the lowest output from 3B since 1997, this was a pretty good, but not superior lineup. What surprised me was that Jeff Kent, a power hitting second baseman throughout his career, posted Biggio-like numbers at second in 2004. Lance Berkman is great....like, "play for five more seasons and punch his ticket to Cooperstown" great. If anything, I'd chalk up their 2004 NLCS appearance to not having to face Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Kevin Brown, and John Smoltz, and instead facing off against Jaret Wright, John ...

Wakefield To Undergo Surgery, Likely to Return for 2010
Over the Monster — ... more than his $4 million option last year. So long as the Sox can keep getting the same level of production out of him, it makes sense to have him back. Given his age and fragility, though, expect the Sox to either have a backup for Wakefield, or to use the Knuckleballer in a back-up role himself. The Sox will likely fill the 5th/6th starter position with another low risk, high reward candidate. While the strategy proved unsuccessful last year, with both Brad Penny and John Smoltz proving to be of little help, Theo Epstein recently stood ...

The Dirty Water Filter, 10/17 - Lots to Do, Lots of Time
Over the Monster — ... to having fun on the diamond. Besides the on-field contributions, his carefree attitude could be the most important intangible Damon brings to the Red Sox, who displayed all the personality of a cantaloupe this season. The part where Mr. Ortiz discusses Damon's skill is lacking, so I thought I'd share his "humor." Projected projects for Theo Epstein - BostonHerald.com Theo Epstein’s attempted reclamation projects with John Smoltz and Brad Penny were not what the Sox general manager ...

Damaged Goods: My life on the D-List
Driveline Mechanics — ... , but he's also a better player. Without complete information of the exact injury and surgery, it's tough to say whether Bedard is a good or bad bet in the future, but even a good recovery from this sort of surgery will only give Bedard three quarters or half a season to work with. If he makes it back, he's likely to produce the same way he has in appearances after injuries, so he's probably worth a $4M gamble with a shot at 1.5-2 WAR production, the 2009 John Smoltz contract. ...

Where the Sox Things Are: Offseason Priorities
Over the Monster — ... gave us some good starts before he started sucking, but John Smoltz was monumentally bad from the getgo. Theo doesn't have a great record rehabbing pitchers ( ...

Bill James and Pitchers
Viva El Birdos — ... 10 3.64 Kyle Lohse 24 118 128 14 36 72 6 7 4.35 John Smoltz 10 50 48 5 11 ...

Revisiting the Matt Garza/Delmon Young Deal Once More
DRaysBay — ... That collection of names is rather unimpressive and entirely telling at once. It seems foolhardy to anoint someone two seasons into their career as one of the nth best pitchers in franchise history, but under the circumstances there is a strong case to be made that Garza is indeed the third best starter. Remarkably the comparison made to John Smoltz, Steve Avery, and ...

What the Cardinals can take from the Yankees, besides the luxury tax
Viva El Birdos — ... contracts, each two years, $13 million, were both affordable risks, and one of them worked out better than the Cardinals could possibly have imagined, but they were an extremely speculative way to spend $26 million; there wasn't much in their recent history to suggest they were multi-million dollar pitchers, of a separate species from recent gambles like John Smoltz or even the first appearances of Lohse and Pineiro.  ...

BoSox trade for Jeremy Hermida
Lone Star Ball — ... , John Smoltz...if they are going to spend $3-5 million on a player, they'd rather have a high beta guy who might give you nothing, or might give you a whole lot, rather than get the safe, guaranteed mediocrity. ...

How Did They Do That?
The Good Phight — ...  and John Smoltz, who combined for 47 wins and 601 innings that season. Their bullpen was anchored by closer  ...

Change 'Dem Sox!: Jim Thome A Red Sox In 2010?
Over the Monster — ... our new shortstop is). OK, he can hit for power and get on base. That's a good combo. What else? He's going to be cheap. He made $13 million last year in his time between the Dodgers and White Sox, but I will guarantee right now that Thome will not sign for more than $5M this offseason. There is no way. If he does, I will change my avatar to Evan Longoria for one month. And I hate Evan Longoria. Signing Thome would be kind of like the Sox signing John Smoltz, Takashi Saito and Brad Penny last year. Three ...

Why Would John Lackey Want To Pitch For The Washington Nationals?
Federal Baseball — ... in an article entitled, "Time to Make the Most of This Horror Show", that the Nationals were looking at: "'...Jason Marquis, Randy Wolf, John Lackey, Cliff Lee, Jon Garland, Kevin Millwood, Tim Hudson, Brad Penny, Joel Piñeiro, Braden Looper, Jarrod Washburn, Brandon Webb, Brett Myers (and) John Smoltz...'"   ...

MLB Trade Rumors: John Smoltz to Close??
FakeTeams — ... A few days ago, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Morosi over at Foxsports.com wrote that there are 7 teams interested in signing John Smoltz this offseason, with some interested in him closing. Here is what they wrote: ...

The State of the Rockies: A Sane Free Agency Preview
Purple Row — ... John Smoltz: If he'd deign to sign with the Rockies, Colorado would be glad to have his power arm in the bullpen or even in the fifth starter's role. ...

Morning Prowl: Bourquin Banned, Organizational Trees, Top 10 Prospects, and Goodbye Hessman
Bless You Boys — ... 11 players who could be protected by the Tigers.  But maybe they shouldn't be, as they could also be replaceable within the organization.   The Freep has a photo gallery of 10 free agents the Tigers should take a look at this offseason.  There are a couple of interesting names suggested (Endy Chavez, Frank Catalanotto) and one that makes me - and I'm only speaking for myself - want to pull my hair out (John Smoltz).   With the 40-man roster needing to be ...

Florida Marlins Spring Schedule
FishStripes — ... Marlins only play one night game in Jupiter. And I am guessing a couple of you were, looking at you Spud and LadyFish.  The game will be against the Mets on March 18th and starting at 7:05 p.m.  If I had to guess why there are so few, to nonexistent, ones at night games this spring becauses it messes up the tee times.  While for veterans they can probably just blow it off, those who are hoping for a spot on the roster can't. It reminds of the story of when John Smoltz who was with the Red Sox at the time and they were ...

No Holliday Or Lackey? No Problem!
Amazin' Avenue — ... , a pitcher I previously wanted no part of.  For 2 years, $12 million Garland would likely be worth more than his salary and provide some consistency (yes, consistency) to a staff that lacked it in 2009.  The other major pitcher signings are John Smoltz and ...