Atlanta Braves: Should John Smoltz be re-signed to help Braves bullpen?
The Boston Red Sox cut John Smoltz Friday after the veteran pitcher, signed as a free agent this past January, managed only a 2-5 record in eight starts with an 8.33 ERA.
YOU TELL US: Do you think Smoltz, who racked up 154 saves from 2001-04 as Atlanta’s closer, should be re-signed to help in the Braves bullpen? Or is he, at age 42 and coming off shoulder rehab, simply out of gas?
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352 comments Add your comment
K-Dog
August 10th, 2009
1:13 pm
I have mixed feelings, my heart says yes, but my head says no. I really don’t think it would work out no matter how much us old dogs would love to see him on the mound, just one more time in a Braves jersey.
Nick
August 10th, 2009
1:14 pm
I think that he’s already been cut. i just read it somewhere. i could be wrong
count_schemula
August 10th, 2009
1:16 pm
Other teams want Smoltz?
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4387781&campaign=rss&source=MLBHeadlines
John Smoltz' slider
August 10th, 2009
1:16 pm
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!
I’m lost, and I can’t find my way home.
Braindawg
August 10th, 2009
1:18 pm
Sure bring him back, hire him, say 12 mil. over one season. And while your at it, Let Glavine come back also, but lets be resonable about this only give Glavinve 10 mil. And while we’re at that maybe Obama can give us a resonable health care plan!?!?!?!? Im sorry, that last one just aint gonna happen. But then again neither are the first two………..That is all! Later!
northern braves fan
August 10th, 2009
1:18 pm
Sign him and give him a chance. He should retire a brave.
STH
August 10th, 2009
1:20 pm
Soriano is the best of our pretty good bull pen, man people axpect alot sometimes. Do half of you really watch the games or just comment after watching one game when american idol isnt on??
shaggy
August 10th, 2009
1:20 pm
Yeah, that would be a smart move. Put an old 8+ ERA guy in the bullpen.
What we need is a AAA’er who throws smoke, and nobody in the majors has faced. That would be worth DL’ing sombody.
Halibut Maoir
August 10th, 2009
1:21 pm
What do all of the following have in common? Knucksie,Spahn,Sain,Rick Camp, Steve Avery,Bruce Sutter, Steve Bedrock, & Mark Wohlers. They like Smoltz have nothing left and the Braves are not thinking of re-signing any of them either!!!!
37YrBravesFan
August 10th, 2009
1:22 pm
No. Just plain No, don’t do it.
Blackberry Cobbler
August 10th, 2009
1:22 pm
Bring Smoltz back. It would be the classy thing to do. Scherholz already said he didn’t like the way the Smoltz departure was handled. This would be a chance to heal the would even if Smoltz couldn’t contribute much. Bring him back and let him retire and enter the HOF a Brave. It would be a classy move even if he’s not needed much.
jaygee
August 10th, 2009
1:22 pm
Take the emotion out of it. The guy can’t get people out anymore. How is signing a pitcher who can’t get people out going to help the Braves? It’s not.
IDC
August 10th, 2009
1:22 pm
The Braves have played too well the last week to have any distractions thrown into the mix. Smoltz would want to come back as a starter and would once again want to be the “head” guy in the dugout. He left. He can’t cut it there. Let him go cost another team important games, not the Braves. Quite frankly I am sick and tired of hearing about all the people who aren’t playing in Atlanta anymore (Smoltz, Glavine, Vick), let’s talk about people who matter, people who are playing now.
Murphy47
August 10th, 2009
1:25 pm
Years ago Smoltz turned down 51 million and took 30 from the Braves…far as i’m concerned now…were even. Short answer…yes, take him back for the bullpen. He still throws low 90’s and imagine his experience in the bullpen. He would have been PERFECT yesterday in the 9th and would have been able to give (Moy, Gonz, Soria) much needed rest. Yes he looked very, very average against the Yanks…but a lot of people do. He is a bearded psycho who will have off days but he is one baseball’s ALL TIME BEST PITCHERS. Do all of this for VERY LITTLE money by the by!!
Alex C.
August 10th, 2009
1:30 pm
He is a brave. He should be with us! Pitching in Boston, without getting the proper time to ease in, was a recipe for disaster. He needs to come home. There will be plenty of opportunities for relief work. We can use him!!! Why not?
EW
August 10th, 2009
1:31 pm
Look, I love Smoltz. But Wren already proved that he made the right, albeit the unpopular, decision to let Smoltz go. Why bring him back and open yourself to the criticism if he fails. I hate to say it Braves fans, but our hometown hero is gonna hang em up or end up somewhere other than Atlanta, with the emphasis on hanging em up. Thanks for the memories Smoltzie, see you in Cooperstown.
Rick S
August 10th, 2009
1:32 pm
If John Smoltz is open to pitch as a reliever again then why not? If it works the Braves strengthen their Bullpen and allow John Smoltz to rejoin the Braves and when ready retire as he should- an Atlanta Brave. If it does not work out then what really have you lost!
mark
August 10th, 2009
1:36 pm
NO
BravesFan79
August 10th, 2009
1:36 pm
YES! Bring Smoltz back to the ATL!! Hes not self centered… hes a Brave at heart… i guess some of you fools havent been long enough to remember all the times he turned down BIG $$ from the Yankees to stay a Brave!
He left for the $ just like most of us would leave our jobs for another that payed double!
It worked out best for both parties! We didnt have to pay him most of the year, and he would be fresh for the playoff run. Smoltz now knows he cant go 5+ innings anymore, and therefore would be a great addition to the bullpen!!
HE DID SHUT DOWN THE RED HOT YANKEES FOR 3 INNINGS!! Could most of our bullpen do that …. NO! Actually alot of teams are interested in Smoltz….apparently some GM’s know more than some of you fools do that think hes washed up…. go figure!
JP
August 10th, 2009
1:38 pm
Hell no. Let him stew at home for the rest of the season about how everyone has wronged him.
CJDawg
August 10th, 2009
1:38 pm
Ummmm….who would you rather see coming in….Smoltz or Acosta?
Smoltz in a landslide. Give him 2 weeks in the minors and then a call up to see, but only at the lague minimum. Soriano is not the shut down man Smoltz is for one inning. If you let emotions get in the way of bringing him back, ur just nuts.
Reggie Reg
August 10th, 2009
1:39 pm
El-Hay Oh-nay….
KJ
August 10th, 2009
1:44 pm
Kinda perfect timing…my blog post today is about Smoltzy. My verdict: time for him and Glavine to hang up their tomahawks: http://braveskatie.mlblogs.com/archives/2009/08/knowing-when-to-fold-em-a-lesson-from-23.html
john
August 10th, 2009
1:44 pm
why not he can give you a inning or two send him down to the farm until sept 1 when there take the team from 25 players to 40 that way you can see what he has left in his tank who knows he can be the next paul byrd maybe he could be teach the knuck ball that way he could pitch for another year or two
Mark Biles
August 10th, 2009
1:45 pm
I am eternally grateful for everything Smoltz has done for the Braves in his first tenure with the Braves, but I think he’s out of gas. Also, we just don’t have the money left to take a chance on a pitcher that may cost us wins by having blown saves or turn a close game into a sure loss. Love you Smoltz and I’m sure you’ll go into the Hall of Fame in 5 years.
Billy Austin
August 10th, 2009
1:47 pm
Reid Adair………. “Frank Wren and company lied to the fans and the public, claiming the Braves’ offer was similar to Boston’s”.
Not true that Frank Wren lied! He said the Atlanta Braves were willing to pay John Smoltz the same amount of money TO PITCH they just were not willing to pay the same amount the Boston Red Sox were for him NOT TO PITCH. In other words the Red Sox offered guaranteed money and the Braves offered an incentive laden contract with a smaller amount guaranteed. If Smoltz had been healthy and pitching like Smoltz of old he could have made the same money with the Braves that he was guaranteed from the Red Sox. Frank Wren in my opinion did a good job of protecting the Braves from exactly what has now happened to the Red Sox. The Red Sox are paying a lot of money for a pitcher that helped them fall behind the Yankees and they are now releasing because he can’t even help them get TO October much less be a factor IN October.
John Smoltz is one of my favorite all time Braves but I think in this instance he is wrong. He decided to take it personally that Frank Wren was being prudent and not repeat last year by having future hall of famers but current rehab patients anchoring his starting rotation. He took the same guaranteed money that Smoltz got from Boston and converted that to Javier Vasquez. Where would the Braves be if they had not traded for Vasquez and relied on Smoltz to come back instead? No chance we’d be in the race at all. Frank Wren needs to be commended for making unpopular but none the less correct choices this offseason and continuing into the playing season this year. I don’t see a move yet he would reverse now if given the chance. Nice job Frank! You had a plan and are sticking to it and it’s working well.
If Smoltz wants to come back and go down for some rehab work at Gwinnet and be available to the pen in case of an injury or to replace Acosta I’d say that could be the best the Braves should offer him. He might have enough left to be effective for one inning at a time.
TA
August 10th, 2009
1:52 pm
No way. How smart does Wren look now.
Smoltz Headed back to Atlanta? | Hard Knox Sports
August 10th, 2009
1:57 pm
[...] today: “Do you think Smoltz should be re-signed to help in the Braves bullpen?” [AJC] The Braves could use another relief pitcher, but I will be shocked if the former Braves closer [...]
BravesFan79
August 10th, 2009
2:02 pm
Hmmm… this shouldnt be hard… should we add a guy who……………
A: Is one of the most dominating postseason pitchers of all time.
B: a Brave at heart who turned down greater offers from other teams over the years.
C: The only pitcher ever with 200+ wins and over 150 saves, including the NL record for saves
D: Even at 42 just shut down the powerful and redhot Yankees lineup the first time thru the order, including striking out A-Rod and Johnny Damon….without his best stuff.
Nope… according to half of the genius’s on here…any joe smoe would of done all that, and anyone would of turned down more money from the Yankees to stay a Brave. Whats that… u mean Tex didnt stay?
Some of you need to GET OVER YOURSELVES! Smoltz has done alot for this organization and us true fans appreciate it! Just like us true fans look deeper into the #’s than just ERA and realize he only had a few bad innings (he usually did well the first time thru the order).
Smoltz had the right to speak his mind about the Glavine situation… etc… this is America after all! If anyone deserved to be honest and speak his mind its Smoltz after all the loyalty he showed to us fans.
Ken
August 10th, 2009
2:04 pm
After a public apology for blasting the Braves because they didn’t give him enough money I would welcome him back for a tryout to see if there is anything left. If nothing else we would enjoy seeing hime a few times in Gwinnett.
aps
August 10th, 2009
2:06 pm
Sure, for the Gwinnett Braves.
john
August 10th, 2009
2:09 pm
No way Smoltz can help the Braves in any way. Fortunately for hte Braves Wren did not give into the temptation to sign Smoltz for his passt. Smoltz went to the Red sox because they would pay him without knowing what he had left. Looks lke Wren knew that he had nothing left. Why go and mess with a part which is working and bring in a guy only worried about himself and not the team
johnnyboy
August 10th, 2009
2:11 pm
This would be an incredibly dumb move. The Braves bullpen doesn’t need bolstering, and Smoltz hasn’t proven he can pitch after his most recent surgery.
Wolf
August 10th, 2009
2:14 pm
If Smoltz is willing to go to Gwinett and pitch there, see how he does in one-inning relief appearances, that MIGHT be OK. I doubt that he would do it, but if he WAS willing, well, give him three or four appearances in triple-A ball and see how he does. If he gets batters out there and looks good doing it, then bring him up after the rosters expand on September 1. As of NOW, Atlanta cannot afford to risk it by bringing in Smoltz when every game is important.
Brave Fan
August 10th, 2009
2:15 pm
Smoltz was a great player for the Braves for many years and I was one of his biggest fans. However, he talked way too much after he signed with the Red Sox about how the Braves didn’t step up to sign him. Not to mention all he had to say about the Braves and Glavine situation. If Smoltz hadn’t become the outspoken, bitter, selfish player he became, I would be all for him putting on a Brave uniform. However, with the way he went on every sports talk show and espn to voice his displeasure about the Braves organization, I have to say no. He could have been a man about the way he left and just said “the Sox offered me more money” but he couldn’t and he didn’t. The Braves OWE John Smoltz nothing. Smoltz can thank the Braves for all the years of support and the paychecks. Baseball is a business and John forgot that when it pertained to himself……and Glavine.
Matt the Brave
August 10th, 2009
2:15 pm
Here’s an idea: let’s bring back Tom Glavine to start, Kent Mercker to throw middle relief, Juan Berenguer to do the 7th, Charlie Leibrant to do the 8th, then Smoltz to close out the game. I’m sure we’d lose about 58-10.
Will
August 10th, 2009
2:15 pm
I hate to say this but the acquisition would make an interesting story. I still think he can close some games for us and may help us overtake the Phils in that role. The problem is I think he would rather retire than half to “eat crow” to come back to Atlanta. But the story is pretty interesting.
lexbrave
August 10th, 2009
2:17 pm
ask me that question after he apologizes to the organization and the fans for how he talked about the braves when he CHOSE to leave.
until then the answer is no.
No name comic
August 10th, 2009
2:17 pm
He took more money gambling on a better contender and lost. I’d have him back for peanuts but it looks like he’s washed up. If you ask me, Glavine got the rawest deal of the two…
bkbroila
August 10th, 2009
2:20 pm
He ditched the Braves and the fans for extra money, period. Then the Sox ditched his butt and sent him packing, something the braves never would have done…His pride won’t let him come back!!!
EW
August 10th, 2009
2:26 pm
Can we squash this right now? SMOLTZ IS NOT EVER COMING BACK TO ATLANTA. Wren ain’t bringing him back, and no matter how much you think he would be effective for an inning here or there, it WON’T be here. FIRST, Smoltz will have to swallow his pride and agree to come out of the bullpen, something he could have opted to do at the beggining of the year and still be a Brave. SECOND, if and when he does that, he will go to ANOTHER team, NOT ATLANTA. This story is BS, it’s reality check time.
EW
August 10th, 2009
2:28 pm
Matt the Brave. I think we should have Wholers close.
Vikki Thomas
August 10th, 2009
2:33 pm
I’m with NativeBird. Out of gas. Go play golf and try to get by on your millions. The Braves proved this past series with the Dodgers that they don’t need to make any changes right now. I don’t feel sorry for him at all. You don’t bad mouth the team that you were with for years. It’s in pour taste. Have some class. You have plenty of time to go find some now.
Alvin R
August 10th, 2009
2:34 pm
Thanks for the memories Smoltzie! But my vote would be a big “NO WAY” let’s stay with young talented players that are still hungry for the game and not just a “payday”…we’ll holla atcha Smoltz!
drummerdad
August 10th, 2009
2:34 pm
Who do they move or can to make room for him? At best, see if he’ll take a Gwinnett deal.
JeanE
August 10th, 2009
2:34 pm
I am the biggest John Smoltz fan but gotta say, a big NO to this idea.I would think he’d have way to much pride to do it even if offered. Time to make a graceful exit, I was so angry at Frank Wren but I was wrong. He is just done. Tommy G, too. They are both Braves icons but the time has come to retire.
hall county observer
August 10th, 2009
2:38 pm
i am a huge smoltz fan but absolutely under no circumstance should the braves bring him back. all of the folks say sign him and give him a chance to prove himself in gwinnett are wrong. he has had the chance to prove himself in the minors and in boston this year and he proved that he can not get major league hitters out anymore. what in the world makes anyone think he could be a closer. the braves are trying to make the playoffs not win a popularity contest with smoltz. i dont care if he would pitch for ZERO money, the braves can not afford any more given away games.
Independent Thinker
August 10th, 2009
2:38 pm
It’s a moot question. For what he would merit in salary, his gargantuan ego would not allow it.
Independent Thinker
August 10th, 2009
2:39 pm
While we’re at it,let’s get John Rocker! NOT!
J-man
August 10th, 2009
2:45 pm
I don’t think he’s got anything left, but I am amazed at how many people have what I would call an “interesting” take on the contract unpleasantness earlier this year. I still feel what I felt earlier. There was a way to handle this and explain to Smoltz that the team needed to give a roster spot to a younger pitcher who is part of the future instead of him. Or there was the way to do what the Braves did, which was to make him an offer they knew he would not accept and watch fans blame him for being “greedy” when he turned it down. I am starting to believe that Frank Wren could kill someone in cold blood on video with a knife and some of the fans would swear that the victim actually deliberately jumped on the knife to commit suicide.