Chad Finn of the Boston Globe sums up the reports: the Red Sox announced an agreement with Rocco Baldelli on a one-year deal and the AP says their one-year deal with John Smoltz will be finalized today...UPDATE 11:21 p.m.: Mark Bowman of MLB.com is reporting that according to a Major League source, Smoltz will call the Braves tomorrow morning to tell them that he will sign with Boston.Baldelli's deal has a $500K base with $1.75MM in roster bonuses and $5.25MM in performance bonuses. The Phillies, Reds, Pirates, and Orioles were in on him. Smoltz gets $5MM guaranteed with another possible $5MM in bonuses.
According to Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe, the Red Sox are close to signing Rocco Baldelli and starting John Smoltz.
According to sources close to the talks, Baldelli appears to be inching closer to a deal with the Red Sox. The Sox, in search of a fourth outfielder, have done extensive work on Baldelli's health including a previously diagnosed mitochondrial disorder which has been rediagnosed as a less severe channelopathy disorder after visits to the Cleveland Clinic and Massachusetts General Hospital earlier this winter.If he signs, he is expected to replace Coco Crisp as the Sox fourth outfielder.
The Sox are also trying to hash out an agreement with veteran free-agent right-hander John Smoltz, who is recovering from shoulder surgery. Smoltz, 41, would likely not be able to play until late May, but the Sox normally overstaff their starting rotation to account for injuries as they did with Bartolo Colon last season.Baldelli, 27, hit .263/.344/.475 with 4 HR and 36 RBI in 28 games last year with the Rays.As of last night, sources indicated that Smoltz was leaning toward Boston's offer which was said to be somewhere in the vicinity of $5.5 million guaranteed with the opportunity to earn a few million in incentives which could hike the salary up to $10 million. The Sox and Smoltz have been talking since before the Winter Meetings. The Sox do not anticipate that Smoltz will be ready until later in May, but one of the incentives being discussed would be a roster bonus if he's with the team by June 1.
Smoltz, 41, went 3-2 with a 2.57 ERA in six games last year with the Braves before his surgery.
These would both be solid moves for Boston. Adding depth in the outfield and starting rotation with two quality ballplayers is always a good thing.
12 Comments:
i want the Yanks to sign Smoltz because he can also pitch out of the bullpen, and would be huge for us in the playoffs in the 8th inning. also, he's a classy guy that would help the chemistry on the team and would help the younger pitchers develop.
I agree Dan. I think signing Smoltz would be a very good move.
well we cant steal everybody the sawx expect to sign this offseason. but i will say this let them sign a 41 year old pitcher and an OF that has a lot of upside but well he needs to stay healthy. let their fans jump for joy we had our winter let them have theirs where they are going to say smoltz is better than cc and baldelli is better than tex be prepared this is sawx fans we dealing with. The ones that wanted tex so bad had him in their lineups and hearts and as soon as the yanks got him he was a jerk and scumbag.
I have a lot of questions regarding the Smoltz move.
As a Yankee fan looking at the Red Sox, I see Beckett, Dice-K and Lester as 1-2-3. They just signed Penny. They re-signed Wakefield.
They have Masterson. So where does this leave Smoltz and Bucholz?
I'm glad the yankees didnt sign Smoltz. Glad they ended their trend of signing aging 40 year old players.
Thanks, Andy.
Decent moves, but nevertheless they are both low-impact moves.
The Boston rotation in 2009 is going to depend severely on the ability of Lester and Matsuzaka to repeat their virtually un-repeatable performances of 2008. While Lester has no doubt emereged as a top starter, for him and Matsuzaka both to match what they did last year is going to be extremely difficult.
Combine that with the fact that Smoltz turns 42 in May and is coming off shoulder surgery - many pitchers never recover from it (can you name the last pitcher to successfully overcome shoulder surgery, let alone a 42 year old?) - and that Brad Penny has been basically an average pitcher outside of a couple decent seasons in the NL, I think their rotation isn't as solid as everyone thinks.
Does anyone really think Matsuzaka and Lester will again have a combined record of 34-9? Wakefield is coming off of his best seasons in years, will he repeat that at the age of 42?
And just a few notes:
Smoltz career ERA: 3.26
Career ERA vs. AL: 4.22 (140.2 inn)
Penny Career ERA: 4.06
Career ERA vs. AL: 5.08 (136.1 inn)
Those are relatively large sample sizes, and both pitchers have an ERA that's a full run higher vs. the AL. It's clear that neither Penny nor Smoltz have had very much success against the AL, and although Smoltz' 4.22 ERA isn't bad, he's also coming off shoulder surgery and he'll be 42.
I don't really think the Red Sox should be expecting a whole lot out of either of them.
"Thanks, Andy."
huh?
Penny, Smoltz and Baldelli? 3 injury prone players? Why dont they just trade for Pavano too....maybe sign Jared Wright as well. Wow...lol. Good stuff....no no, I say good on ya Boston....sign away! Schmuck-tastic.
Depending on the salary number for Baldelli, he is definitely worth the risk. If it turns out his ailment is treatable, he could turn into much more than a fourth outfielder for the Sox, especially if Ellsbury continues to under-acheive. In Fenway, he would be a doubles machine, and he can cover some ground in the outfield. With 500 AB's (which I understand is a longshot) he could hit 20-25 HR's and drive in 80-85 runs. Couple that with stellar defense and that is a great up the middle player. I have to admit, I have always been a huge fan of Baldelli, so some of the irrational speculating stems from that, even though I know he is talented enough to accomplish these things. He's just an easy guy to root for, and even if he's in Beantown, I'll be pulling for the guy.
While I do think there's the slight possibility that Baldelli reaches the potential that he seems to have, I wouldn't bank on it. He's a career .325 OBP guy and his best asset - his speed - has been sapped by his disease. I don't claim to know anything about it other than it's reportedly "treatable" but to what extent is it treatable? Will he ever regain his speed? Will he ever regain the pop potential with the bat?
More likely than not, Baldelli is now a 4th outfielder or platoon type. I'd be awfully surprised if he ever steals 20 bases or hits 20 HRs. That doesn't mean he won't or can't be a useful platoon/4th OF type player, but I just don't know if he'll ever live up to the lofty numbers of 20-25 HRs or 80+ RBI.
I'm scared...........not realy.
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