If the Red Sox release John Smoltz, should the Yankees consider signing him?
I know the proposition may sound absurd after Smoltz’s brutal performance in the Bronx just a week ago, however, if he can be had at the pro-rated major league minimum then it seems like Smoltz could be useful. Right now, the Yankees are looking at Sergio Mitre and Chad Gaudin to help them round out their rotation. Russ Ortiz, Kei Igawa, Josh Towers and Jason Hirsh could also be used to fill-out the pitching staff. Is Smoltz any worse than the guys I just mentioned? His 8.33 ERA would suggest that he is, yet his 4.93 FIP and .390 BABIP—which is bound to regress—may offer a glimmer of hope. His command and his stuff (7.43 K/9) are also pretty good this year, as evidenced by his 3.67 K/BB. In fact, this season, Smoltz has been an excellent pitcher against righties, holding them to a .232 BAA. If he can just figure out how to pitch to lefties in the AL (.444 BAA), then he could be a worthwhile pickup.
Imagine the great storyline the acquisition would bring, as well. That would definitely be something, especially if Smoltz signs and is a better pitcher while with the Yankees. Of course, I’m not saying that he’s worth a contract for that reason. Instead, what I am saying is that given his experience and based on a few of his statistics (i.e., FIP, BABIP, K/9, BB/9), it’s not ridiculous to think that he’ll rebound if given another opportunity to pitch—that’s all, and maybe that opportunity will be in New York.
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13 Responses to Signing Smoltz?
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TIQ IQ
Don’t see how it could hurt. Worst case, they give him two starts and he bombs, they pull him before the game gets totally out of hand. Another option to throw against the wall.
Watching him pitch before his release made me wonder why anyone would want him on their team. He has nothing left, which isn’t surprising for a 43 year old pitcher.
If he just tweaks his approach against lefties, then he could be a solid pickup. He did throw a 93 mph fastball the other day, which indicates that he has something left, right?
Watching him pitch the other day, it seemed to me…he had everything going for him except; “arm strength”. Without which, he can’t throw his change, curve, slider and etc., effectively.
Sign him to AAA and maybe he will get enough strength to help down the line, if not…no big deal.
he won’t accept a minor league deal at this stage of his career. but if he can crank it up a notch or two coming out of the bullpen (Atlanta redux), he could be useful. not to mention upsetting the “nation”.
Agreed.
Ditto!
I forgot about the Rsox offer of AAA…sorry ’bout dat!
No worries. I could see him accepting a brief ML stint if a team asks him to be a reliever for them, but it’s unlikely.
IF they put an opt out clause in the contract I could see him going down to triple A and working out the kinks he has before getting a call up in a week or two and if he doesn’t get the call he can opt out. I doubt he pitches for anyone unless that happens.
Although the need to fill would be in the starting rotation ,he would be an excellent temporary stop gap if Mo is down for an extended period. Smoltz stuff is good for 2 – 3 innings.
I would not want to see him close, but he might be fine in the pen. In most of his Sox starts it was the 2nd time through order that he had problems. I heard Francona talk about the situation the other day and it seemed like the Sox offered him AAA to get tuned up for their pen which he rejected. Sounds like he wants to still try to start, just with someone outside the AL East so I will be surprised if he accepted a pen spot with NY. In addition, if he signed with NY it would be a serious slap in the face to the Sox which by all accounts were pretty good to him. They gave him 8 starts which is more than most teams would have put up with. In the end, its not a bad idea, but its not going to happen.
hell no…we already tried da sign old guys wid experience strategy…no thanks on smoltzy
I mentioned this when he got DFA and after I heard Cashman talking about him it made me feel like it would happen even more… If Smoltz is willing to go to triple A with an opt out clause and get his pitches under control and prove he can pitch at Scranton I have no problem gibing him Mitre’s spot.