Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Atlanta Braves are prepared to lose long time pitcher John Smoltz if another team is willing to give the veteran hurler a guaranteed deal. Smoltz has had a long list of surgeries on his throwing arm, most recently a shoulder surgery in June, and the Braves are apparently only willing to give him an incentive laden deal.
After paying $14 million for just 5 starts last year, you can hardly fault the Braves for being gun shy this time around. However, Smoltz did put up an impressive 2.57 ERA before losing the rest of the year to injury and the 41 year old was said to be impressive in a recent rehab session in which he threw off a mound for the first time.
The Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox have expressed interest in the long time Brave, who may not be ready until May, and it's hard to imagine some team not offering him a guaranteed deal in this starting starved free agent market. If Smoltz does leave, he'll be the last of Atlanta's big three to finish their careers elsewhere, following Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine's lead.
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I don’t see a team offering a lot for a pitcher who might not be ready until May – or possibily later. I hope the Red Sox don’t go after him.