Red Sox Sign John Smoltz
Apparently the deal was for $5 million w/ $5 million in bonuses.
Now, Smoltz has never pitched a season in the AL, but his dominating numbers, even into his later years, give me every reason to think that Smoltz might be a top 5 pitcher in the AL East. As a Yankees fan, this worries me. For a pittance, the Red Sox have added a veteran future Hall of Famer who’s not only underestimated because he for many years he pitched behind (in my mind) the best pitcher in history, Greg Maddux. [This is a topic for a longer post]
Smoltz’s last three full seasons look like this:
2005: 14-7, 169 K, 53 BB, 3.06 ERA, 1.145 WHIP with 229 2/3 IP
2006: 16-9, 211 K, 55 BB, 3.49 ERA, 1.190 WHIP with 232 IP
2007: 14-8, 197 K, 47 BB, 3.11 ERA, 1.182 WHIP with 205 2/3 IP
(obviously, before this, he was an elite closer, posting 144 saves from 2002-2004)
(in 2008, he only threw 28 innings, but in that short span he posted a 2.57 ERA with 36 K.)
Simply dominant. I pray he doesn’t approach these numbers again.