Red Sox DFA John Smoltz
The Red Sox designated John Smoltz for assignment, according to DJ Bean of WEEI.com. Smoltz, 42, struggled in eight starts for the Red Sox. He only walked nine, but eight of the 59 hits he allowed were homers. His ERA ballooned to 8.32 after allowing eight earned runs at Yankee Stadium last night.
Smoltz receives $35k for every day spent on the active roster, so with nearly 60 days left in the season, he could have made about $2MM over the course of the next two months, plus an additional $500k for being on the roster on the last day of the season. He receives $500k if the Red Sox trade him.
Odds And Ends: Wagner, Red Sox, Scherzer
An assortment of links to get the day started…
- Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News hears that one AL contender has at least some interest in adding Billy Wagner for the stretch run. The lefty makes $10.5MM this year and has a $1MM buyout for 2010, so Wagner seems likely to clear waivers.
- Rubin says the Mets won't likely offer Wagner or Carlos Delgado arbitration after the season.
- As Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports, Max Scherzer uses some pretty advanced stats to judge his performances.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post hears that the Yanks and Padres almost completed the Chad Gaudin trade before the deadline. When Kenny Williams called about the Jake Peavy deal, Towers had to ignore Cashman, but the teams struck a deal in the end.
- Danny Knobler of CBS Sports says one look at John Smoltz's face suggests he may be done.
- Yahoo's Gordon Edes says Smoltz looked like a "pitcher turned pinata" last night.
- Sam Donnellon of the Philadelphia Inquirer says Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. looks pretty smart right now.
Odds & Ends: Red Sox, Irabu, Draft
Some links to start the morning off…
- Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wonders if the Red Sox would pull back John Smoltz and Mike Lowell if either veteran was claimed on waivers.
- Hideki Irabu is closing in on a deal with an independent Japanese team, according to CBS Sports.
- MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo points out that there are usually a lot of unsigned draft picks this time of year. He also has a league-wide update on those who have yet to sign this season.
- If you heard that someone determined the return on investment of top draft picks, you'd probably think it was someone in a front office. But, as Mayo reports, Pirates pitcher Ross Ohlendorf did just that as a student at Princeton.
- Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports that the O's haven't made progress with second rounder Mychal Givens.
- New acquisition Jarrod Washburn told David Mayo of MLive.com that he "felt like a rookie" in his Tigers debut last night. Washburn lost to Brian Matusz, a real-life rookie who won his MLB debut.
- Like the early 90s Braves, the Padres are building around young arms, according to Chris Jenkins of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Odds And Ends: Smoltz, Cards, Rangers
Some links as we begin a week of non-stop rumors…
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post says John Smoltz, Jonathan Sanchez and Jason Schmidt, who all start tonight, will have an impact on their teams' deadline decisions. Red Sox officials want to see how much they can count on Smoltz, Sanchez can quiet teams' concerns about his control with a good start and Schmidt can provide the Dodgers a back-of-the-rotation arm.
- Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Troy Glaus and Khalil Greene are both advancing to Triple A for the next stage of their respective rehab assignments.
- Evan Brunell of the Hardball Times finds the Padres-Orioles trade baffling from the Padres' perspective.
- Texas Rangers Trades interviews MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan and the chat is worth a read.
- Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram lists 11 pitchers the Rangers could potentially trade for, including Roy Halladay.
Odds And Ends: Strasburg, Guillen, Smoltz
Links for Wednesday afternoon…
- Maury Brown of the Biz of Baseball points out that a $5MM annual salary would place Stephen Strasburg within the top third of arbitration-eligible pitchers from last offseason.
- John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press reports that Carlos Guillen will have to undergo season-ending surgery if his shoulder doesn't heal soon.
- Alex Speier of WEEI.com looks at the impact John Smoltz's return will have on each of the five other Boston starters.
- In an article for SI.com Joel Sherman argues the Indians shouldn't trade Cliff Lee this year. They can contend with Lee in 2010, if not this year, so Sherman says it makes sense to try to win with him.
- Jorge Says No! outlines possible fire sales for the Nationals and Orioles.
- Yankees first rounder Slade Heathcott and his agent were in New York last night, but the Yankees aren't expected to sign their selection quickly, according to Peter Abraham.
Smoltz Set To Return On June 25
John Smoltz is scheduled to return to the Majors next Thursday, June 25, against the Nationals. This will slot the 42-year old between Josh Beckett and Jon Lester in the rotation, barring a change in probables.
According to AP Sports Writer Howard Ulman, Terry Francona suggested he may use a six-man rotation for a "short period of time" so don't hold your breath for any immediate trade activity. The Boston Globe's Amalie Benjamin tweets it would be "for a couple turns, but not as a long-term solution, Francona said." She also notes that Smoltz will not face the Braves in this set-up.
Last Friday, MLBTR readers discussed what the Red Sox should do with their starting pitching surplus. Answers varied, to say the least.
Smoltz Hopes To Keep Pitching After 2009
Pedro Martinez isn't the only future Hall of Fame pitcher who hopes to play after 2009. John Smoltz told Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that he wants to keep pitching after this season and expects to be able to now that he's recovered from a torn labrum. He said he can see himself pitching "well beyond" this year.
Discussion: The Boston Rotation
Earlier today we took stock of the Red Sox rotation, which will soon be overflowing with quality arms. Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Tim Wakefield, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Brad Penny are about to be joined by John Smoltz. Clay Buchholz, Michael Bowden and Justin Masterson offer the Red Sox even more depth. But you can't adopt a nine-man rotation, so the Red Sox have to make some tough decisions. Here's what some are saying:
- Through his interpreter, Dice-K told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he's not feeling 100%. Morosi says it's conceivable that Boston could put him on the DL when Smoltz returns.
- Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Mets, Phillies and Cardinals have interest in Penny. The Red Sox could simply deal him, as most have assumed they would.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer wonders whether the Red Sox would trade Smoltz instead. He wouldn't command as much as Penny, but it would allow the Red Sox to keep their rotation together.
- A six-man rotation sounds intriguing, but, as Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald notes, the team has two days off in the near future, making such an arangement less likely.
Lots of choices here for Boston. They can place Dice-K on the DL, trade Penny or Smoltz or just wait it out. What should they do?
Red Sox Rumors: Penny, Lowrie, Smoltz
Here's the latest on Jed Lowrie and Brad Penny, and what it means for the Red Sox:
- Lowrie told Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe that he sees "light at the end of the tunnel." He's expected back at the end of June or the beginning of July.
- Ben Collins of the Boston Globe says the Penny-John Smoltz conversation won't be "either/or" anymore after Penny's impressive pitching last night. Maybe there's room for both to help the club out.
- But, as Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports, Penny wouldn't want to pitch out of the bullpen.
- In the same article, we hear that Penny has "no idea" what will happen when Smoltz returns. He has a supporter in Josh Beckett, who made it clear he doesn't want to see his rotation-mate dealt.
- Dan Barbarisi of the Providence Journal says Terry Francona and the Red Sox have had "a lot of discussions" about their pitching surplus.
Odds And Ends: White Sox, Smoltz, Lowrie
A few links for Thursday morning…
- Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times speculates that Jermaine Dye, Octavio Dotel and even Bobby Jenks could be traded before July 31st.
- Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe reports that John Smoltz could debut for the Red Sox as soon as Tuesday.
- Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald reports that Smoltz's teammate, Jed Lowrie, could return from his wrist injury by the end of June.
- Smoltz's return will lead to more Brad Penny rumors, while Lowrie's return will ease concerns about the Red Sox shortstop situation.
- Kiley McDaniel of Baseball Prospectus revises his initial take on shortstop Jean Carlos Batista, describing him as "five-tool talent." The Dodgers, Rangers, A's, Indians and Yankees are among the suitors for the Dominican prospect.