Smoltz and his possibilities

John Smoltz is having no problem finding potential suitors. There are plenty of teams lining up for his services even with his age of 41 (42 in May) and injury concerns. Smoltz underwent shoulder season at the tail end of the 2008 season and some wondered whether his career would be coming to a close. Those rumors were put to rest thou as Smoltz threw off a mound on Friday for scouts and looked pretty impressive. It was his first time back on a mound and it was enough to convince Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox that he’d be ready for 2009, “Oh, he’ll be back, no doubt in my mind.”

So is Smoltz seriously considering leaving? Some general managers around the league really think so and with the amount of offers come in one can see why. In reality it all starts with the Braves dragging their feet, wanting to make sure that Smoltz is fully healed from his surgery. Doing that made Smoltz question whether the team really wanted him back. But the main reason to look elsewhere is the desire to win another championship before he retires.

Smoltz wants to win, and based off their 2008 campaign you have to wonder if the Braves can do just that. Yes, they’ve traded for Javier Vazquez but is that really enough to get Smoltz to consider them a contender?? Personally, I don’t think so. Now if they do add A.J. Burnett then it could give them a pretty formidable pitching staff.

So who are the other teams looking to sweep him off his feet. The rumored lists have included the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and the New York Mets. The Tigers have been a hot rumor as Smoltz is from Michigan and he would be pretty much going home if he joined Detroit. It also helps that Tigers General Manager Dave Dombrowski confirmed his interest in Smoltz.

“John Smoltz is a Hall of Famer. He’s from Michigan,” Dombrowski said. “I don’t know him like some of our other people know him, but I know he’s a first-class individual in every respect. I would at least say yeah, I would be interested in exploring that. I don’t know medically where that would stand. I don’t know financially where that would stand. But, yeah.”

So where do I think Smoltz will end up? I have honestly no clue. Personally, I hope he goes back to Atlanta, it’s really hard to imagine him in any other uniform. I don’t think the Red Sox have a genuine interest in him. I really think its just the usual Boston offseason where they throw feelers out to every free agent of note. Now if the New York Yankees manage to get Derek Lowe and A.J. Burnett over the next couple days, then that could change. But I doubt Smoltz heads to Boston, I also seriously doubt a switch to the Mets. So I guess if I had to choose a location it would be Atlanta or Detroit. They are the only two that actually make sense.

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Tags: Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, MLB, New York Mets