John Smoltz Rumors

I'll cry if Smoltz leaves. Ok, not cry but I'll be very sad and mad and disappointed with Wren.

Question: "Will other teams bid on Smoltz?"
Answer: "Who cares, he won't sign with a team besides Atlanta"

According to a teammate and golfing buddy of Smoltz, the Brewers have made multiples calls to him about coming in as the Brewers' closer.

Smoltz leaving the Braves would almost be like a spit in the face to the fans, and Smoltz no matter what he has said about money and the way the Braves front office in the past cares first and foremost what he looks like in the eyes of the fans...that is always one thing I have respected about him...We will retain him...no matter what...

"According to a teammate and golfing buddy of Smoltz"

Francouer and Glavine are his golfing buddies. And Tiger Woods.

Well, last I checked Tiger wasn't on the active roster, so I guess you narrowed it down to 2.

but of course he didn't get too because he was hurt...

What about a return to the Tigers? It was rumored a few years ago. If he goes anywhere besides Atlanta my money would be on Detroit.

I only see him leaving Atlanta if they don't offer him a contract.

If he's not a Brave, he'll be a Tiger.

agreed chicubs25.

i can't see him anywhere else. its just not right but you can't fault him for wanting to pitch. His will be a good argument come HOF time.

I love how Rosenthal suggests that Smoltz might go elsewhere and all the Braves fans get riled up and start calling Rosenthal a hack and all this. Again, Rosenthal is probably the best in this business. If you don't like Rosenthal, I can't imagine what you think about Olney, Gammons, Heyman, Stark etc.

As for the hall of fame, Smoltz should be an absolute lock.

Not a big surprise. His agents want to create a market for him in the unlikely event that the Braves don't offer him a contract.

It's still not that noteworthy news though, given the small chance of it happening.

I think anyone who isn't going to demand 4 years and 60 million dollars is worth looking at...

Wouldn't it be fun if Smoltz signed with the Tigers to be their closer in '09? Talk about coming full circle. Hey, it could happen, Tigers need a closer and don't have much to spend. Smoltz probably isn't going to come back as a starter and isn't going to command top dollar.

I'd definitely take this rotation, regardless of loyalty or anything else:

Burnett
Smoltz
Jurrjens
Vazquez
Campillo/Morton/Parr

I'm 95% sure he stays in Atlanta. I would sob if he didn't.

I hope Smoltz does reinvent himself for the 200th time.. I'm not sure about this whole starter thing though.. my bet is going to be as a closer, but by all means, I hope I am DEAD WRONG. With regards to the Red Sox trying to get the man himself, I don't see it happening.. John Smoltz is an Atlanta Brave and I believe he always will be. He's taken a pay cut to stay in Atlanta before, he does an incredible amount for the Atlanta community, his kids have grown up in Atlanta where he has pretty much always been, and he's just a class act headed to Cooperstown with that glorious Atlanta "A" always on the front of his cap.

And yes, like I'm sure somebody said in this thread (I didn't read anything but the comment above me), Smoltz will NOT be the closer for the Braves or any other team. He will be in a rotation. It will be Atlanta's (99% sure). It's more physically demanding on a pitcher's body to be in a bullpen because of the unpredictability of it vs. being in a regiment of 5 days and Smoltz prefers the rotation anyway so he's not closing, he's starting.

I'd lose some respect for Smoltz if he'd jump to the Red Sox. He just wouldn't look right in any other uniform.

AtlantaBred it makes sense that Gammons reports on the Red Sox a lot, he used to write for the Boston Globe. He has "connections" in Boston. Its like Stark with the phillies or Olney with the Yankees.

$10-15 million, that is!

Considering the Mets...yea, okay Cafardo. Smoltz is definitely one of those players who would not go to a rival team...

I think hell will freeze over before Smoltz ever becomes a Met.

Not to get off topic but why haven't we heard anything about Orlando Hudson?

"smoltz is old, useless. he better stay in the NL, he wont last a inning in the AL"

His career numbers tell me you don't know what you're talking about. Smoltz may be old as dirt, but his body doesn't seem to have put two and two together on that. He's looking like he's without an actual expiration date.

If Smoltz plays for the Mets I'll cut my own head off.

"Smoltz is just using the other teams as leverage to get more money from the Braves."

Most likely what is happening. I don't think he would leave Braves or their fans if they offered a competitive deal. If they lowball him bad, Wren is an idiot

Calm down, Braves fans. Look at the lead to the Cafardo post:

"John Smoltz wants to pitch for a team that could take him to the World Series. He hopes that's Atlanta, but Smoltz is considering Boston, the New York Mets, and his hometown Detroit Tigers as possible destinations according to a major league source."

Not according to Smoltz, or even his agent, but a "major league source."

I call BS.

Smoltz wasn't sure if he was looking to start or relieve. If he did relieve, it would almost certainly not be as a full-time closer.

He just can't work his arm on that schedule. Up and down in the pen all the time. Pitching 2 or 3 nights in a row then not pitching for a week.

If he was in the pen it would probably be something like pitching every 2 or 3 games, maybe for more than one inning.

But after his recent session throwing off the mound he was feeling like he would be able to start, which is always what he's prefered.

But I think the most important note is that that session was with Roger McDowell and Bobby Cox. I mean, both he and the Braves are acting as if he's already on the team.

It's only a matter of time.

As for the other stuff, it's just his agents doing their job and reporters doing what we want them to do: report every little thing that happens, even if it has no chance of amounting to anything.

I wouldn't read to much in this. It's just to get the Braves to pay him what he think he is worth.

For all us Braves fans, I mean seriously how many times now has Smoltzie done this, almost too many to count...we all know it's becuase he is trying to make sure he gets not less than an 8-10 million deal...

I've been a die hard Braves fan since 1990 when I was 7 years old and they were on TBS all the time...

I watched Glavine flee to the Mets 6 years ago, who's to say Smoltzy won't do the same? You don't know what a player will or won't do until they say it themselves... I personally don't think He'd EVER go to the Mets, but then again, I didn't think Glav would do it either...

Cafardo is a F*ckin idiot... He says the Tigers obviously cuz Smoltz was originally drafted by them...and the Mets, who knows? Maybe cuz Glavine fled the Braves for the Mets and he figures Smoltzy might do the same... The Sox are in the mix on everyone so it seams, no secret there.

Wow another confirmation Smoltz might leave.

Weren't you all throwing a hissy fit a few hours ago?

He's not leaving. I spoke with his agent today and he's staying with the Braves. If you take the previous statement seriously than you're free to believe he might leave too because that's how far fetched the thought of him leaving is. That sorta didn't make sense, but you get it.

Hey, I too can pretend to speak to agents.

Cardsfan387,

that is actually chipper jones. he posted under that handle about a year ago and dave o'brien verified it. since then, that handle has been password protected so only he can post.

"He's not leaving. I spoke with his agent today and he's staying with the Braves."

This really made me laugh.

A plethora of reports that Smoltz is exploring options, likely just creating leverage.

And some armchair gm wants us to believe that not only does he communicate with Smoltz agent but that this agent for whatever reason confirmed to him that his client was going nowhere.

Didnt happen.

Seriously. All of the sudden any writer that links Smoltz to some other team is now a hack? Calm down Braves fans. Jesus Christ.

"I agree with Smoltz's Beard I will also be cutting off my head if he goes to the Mets. This source must be Keith Hernandez."

Was this an attempt at humor? Because it wasn't funny. Or it was so funny I forgot to laugh. One or the other.

Indeed it does.

at least 95% of you posting on this topic have some sanity still, smoltz is going to be back in atlanta unless he's in Dr. Andrew's office. And for those of you giving wren $hit (bitter atl fans) let's wait and see what he does. I cannot fault him for what he has done so far and i feel that he will do what is necessary to get burnett to atlanta.

I'm sure at least 7 teams are interested in Smoltz. If 30 teams weren't interested in John Smoltz I'd be incredibly surprised. He's an extremely good pitcher. He had an ERA of 2.57 including 2 very painful (not for me, for him. His shoulder was hurting some last year if anybody didn't know) outings last year when he gave up a total of 6 runs in 5 innings. Counting his first 4 outings only, Smoltz had a 0.78 ERA. He still throws a 97 mile and hour fastball with good life on it. He throws a low-90's slider that explodes, literally explodes, and a splitter that dives like a sea-gull eyeing a fish. There's no reason for a team to not be interested in him.

However, he's only interested in 1. Luckily, the interest is mutual.

smoltz is old, useless. he better stay in the NL, he wont last a inning in the AL

Posted by: soxsider4life | December 08, 2008 at 02:34 PM

I wouldn't call a 2.57 ERA before he got hurt useless, and I certainly wouldn't call his 14-8, 3.11 ERA from '07 useless.

I personally would love to have a left handed starter but those guys right there would get it done.

Ya, me too, but Vazquez does pitch better to lefties. I think that 5th spot will probably be for Glavine, Campillo, Reyes, or Hanson. (Reyes strictly because he's a lefty).