John Smoltz has pitched his entire major league career with the Atlanta Braves, but he is on the verge of a deal with the Boston Red Sox, according to sources.
Smoltz, 41, has pitched in 708 games for the Braves, winning 210 games and earning 154 saves. He has been rehabilitating his shoulder since having surgery last season, and there have been reports that he has made excellent progress.
Smoltz's departure from Atlanta would come in a winter in which the Braves have struggled to fill holes in their rotation; Atlanta was unable to land Jake Peavy, after extensive trade talks, and was unable to sign free agent A.J. Burnett.
Boston's proposed deal with Smoltz is for $5.5 million in base salary, and $5 million in incentives.
Assuming the Red Sox close out negotiations with Smoltz, they will go into spring training with six veteran starters -- Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jon Lester, Tim Wakefield, Brad Penny and Smoltz. Penny agreed to terms on a one-year, $5 million deal and will be in Boston Thursday for his physical examination.
But the Red Sox have come to believe in the idea of going into each season overloaded with starting pitching; their assumption is that, at some point, injuries will factor in the equation, or some members of the rotation will need rest.
The signings of Smoltz and Penny also give the Red Sox the flexibility to consider trading one of their young starting pitchers -- most notably Clay Buchholz, whose name has come up in trade talks with the Texas Rangers, for catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, as well as with other teams.
Buster Olney is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine.
Appears Smoltz will be a starter in Boston unless something different changes out of spring training or during the year. I could see Smoltz working either in Long Relief or even in a setup role for Papelbon if needed.
Smoltz is still a dominant pitcher... the red sox have plenty of money to throw around... and it helps their rotation... hard to see what's wrong with the signing.
I too am a Yankees fan and i'm always amazed on how the Red Sox quietly always re-tool year after year. While the Yankees go for CC and AJ, the Red Sox pick up Brad Penny and it looks like John Smoltz. These guys are solid arms and there signings go without any to little hoopla. They always seem to get good "role players."
I remember when they traded for Josh Beckett who is a strong arm, but the one factor in that deal that really stuck out to me was them also getting Mike Lowell. Being a Yankees fan people would ask "what do you think about the Sox getting Beckett?" Beckett is a great pitcher but I would tell them that Mike Lowell is more dangerous then Beckett is and I think he has shown that while on the Red Sox.
As a Yankee fan I gotta respect Theo Epstein, the guy is a great General Manager.
Well this could be a dam good signing by the Sox. I know their rotation is strong already but having someone like Smoltz would bring the vetern point of veiw way into the Dugout and clubhouse to calm down the younger players
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