Smoltz released

So he's willing to be a reliever for someone else, but not for the club that was willing to take a chance on him this year? My respect for him has plummeted.

He'll pitch for another squad as a reliever but would not fill that same role for the only organization who was willing to take a chance on him in the off season?

Another really great person, another fine role model.

Go mow your 600 acres and gtfo my TV.

what aggravates me about this is the mention that if Smoltz signs with another team he would be willing to be a reliever. If the Red Sox are going to have to pay him the 5.5 mil, why the heck won't he be a team player and be a relief pitcher in Boston? Sounds like he didn't like Boston as much as he thought he would, asswipe.

Ding dong the witch is dead!

Can I have his money? Watching him has given me a medical condition and I could use it to pay my copays.

what a wuss - won't come back to the sox as a reliever, but will go somewhere else!

why is he not willing to relieve for redsox but will except for another team, especially since they gave him a great opportunity and incentives ? or does he want to pitch in the national league ?

Who else thinks he's going to be a force in the NL?

The Red Sox shouldn't be held responsible for his salary. He's under their control with that contract then he should have to do what is asked of him under the Sox' watch. If not and he wants to walk and latch on to another team. Then the Red Sox shouldn't be held responsible for having to pay him. It should be the other way around. The team that picks him up should have to pay the $5 mill while the Sox have to pay the pro-rated minimum.
Along with no salary cap in MLB. This is another back-a**ed resaon why baseball is going down the tubes!

Why wouldnt Smoltz become a long reliever for us? It said he's open to becoming a reliever, but I dont understand why the Red Sox didnt just do that with him? He did seem to be okay for a few innings, and then it was like the 3rd of 4th innings of his starts that he blew up. Ha ha ha, we could have used him in games that Dice-K starts (you know, those 4/5 inning type games) to get us to the 8th.

na na na
na na na
hey hey - goodbye

thanks for nothing smoltz - let's hang them up shall we - you and brett favre should consider renting space at the shady acres retirement home and take up checkers

At least the Yankees spend ridiculous dollars with visable results. We pay more for contracts for players that don't play for us than some teams pay for the one team they have. I'm not sure where the Sox are going with the acquisitions of the last few years. It looks a lot like Pittsburgh before they cleared out the clubhouse last month. Am I out of line?

why can't we get pitchers like john smoltz?

seriously, watch him go to the rangers and help lead them to the playoffs at the expense of the red sox.
this season makes my head hurt.

Why the hell would smoltz sign up as a reliever with another team when the red sox offered him that very same deal???

Wait, Smoltz said he was open to joining a team as a starter or reliever? Why then did he object to joining the Sox' bullpen?

The Sox really got screwed on that deal. I wonder who the next medical marvel that they sign will be.

The only comment I can think of here involves a swinging screen door...

I think Smoltz's objection likely has to do with spending time in the minors to work as a reliever, not with relieving itself.

Good - let him try and "help" Texas. We will smoke him. Look i have a ton of respect for him, but the fact that he would not fill a role here - with the team that took a huge chance on him, but will elsewhere, has me a little steamed.

Smoltz didn't object to being a reliever for the Sox. He objected to going down to the minors, which would have been the first step in being a reliever for the Sox.

Tiger Woods appears to be slipping; maybe now Smoltz can finally beat him.

Please John-
When it's over, it's over......grow up and now go get a real job- you can't play kids games anymore..............too bad....us working stiffs that make in a lifetime what you made this year as a washed up pitcher have no sympathy and why should we????
I don't care if you still want to pitch...I still want to play in the NHL...that's not happenin' either....GET A REAL JOB!!!!!11

The only thing left in this atrocious season is for Smoltz to get picked up and actually perform, with the Sox continuing to pay him to pitch successfully for someone else. Can't you just feel it coming?

Though I found Smoltzies boyish charm a rel plus, it was a terrible signing by Theo, especially after our Yankees Masters obtained Sabathia and Burnett. Boston was bargain hunting this year, I found out the hard way you get what you pay for.

He's open to being a reliever at the MLB level, not in the minors.

If I quit my job and left for another company to do the same work than I wouldn"t get my salary. John Smoltz signed a contract, Period. Fininsh with the team taht took a chance or don't paly at all this year>What ever team he signe with better not be an American League team because I would not want to be there when he comes thru Fenway. What a dirt bag

I won't do it here, but I will do it somewhere else? Nobody loves me everybody hates me, guess I'll go eat worms. I kept getting crap from non Sox fans about Smoltz all season, and I kept defending him. I have said use him in middle relief over and over. That he just wasn't ready yet to start. blah blah blah....Sox get burned again, watch him be great somewhere else! (I liked what Tim said. we could have used Smoltz and Dice-K to make 1 starting pitcher!!!)

The first requirement for the Hall of Fame ought to be that the player is better than Jason Johnson.

John Smoltz hope you blow out your new shoulder doing the same thing for another team that the Red Sox asked of you. You signed a Contract to pitch for the red sox. Last time i checked relief pitching is still pitching. If we have to pay him for the full year then he should sit in the bull pen all year. If he goes to another team then they should be paying him not us.

Now we see Smoltz for what he really is. Don't worry, that fastball won't speed up and the slider won't break any more. As Parcells would say, "he is what he is". If he goes to the Dodgers and baffles the National League hitters we will know more about the difference between the leagues.

Smoltz should never complain about owners again. He totally used the Sox. They were patient with him and did their best to give him chances. Rather than stick it out, or try a few tune ups in the minors, he screws the Sox and essentially agrees to do whatever is necessary to get signed by another team, rather than the Sox who took a chance on him. Ive lost all respect for him. All words, no substance.

Next time they take a socalled low risk high reward player, make sure the risk is really low. How about incentives for earning the 5.5 m ? Pay him a base of 2.

What a Disaster....a swing and a miss on this one.....and someone else gets a shot for basically free...the guy was good for 2 or 3 innings..the numbers prove that out...the 2nd trip thru the lineup is where he started getting smacked. It is a joke that this guy would not honor the Sox wishes for giving him a chance to come back and create this contract where he "earned-(I use the term lightly)" for nothing..35,000 for every day on the Major League roster...come on. Anyway it just has been this kind of year for the Sox....despite it all they can still get to October and that alone is pretty amazing...

So wait, we paid this guy 2.5 mil plus, we stood by him, gave him ample amount of time & starts, willing to put him back on the roster after the waiver, now he says he'll start or relieve for someone else, not cool John...My guess is that this time he's reached his max, that's probably as good as he's gonna be. John, you didn't help us anyway.

Smoltz take your inflated ERA and wish you could pitch again self where you can be embarassed once again. That's the thanks the Sox get for giving you a chance to prove yourself. Can you spell RETIRE. Watch your videos while pitching for the Sox that should give you a hint your time has come. Oh! and thanks for the memories.

smoltz said he will not go to the minors for the redsox, he did not say he would not be a reliever for the redsox. pay attention people.

Could not happen to a better ball team. Why would Smoltz want to finish the season with the Dead Sox? Dead Sox are done for 2009! First Lugo,now Smoltz for the Cardinals. Thanks for paying their salaries! Hey Dead Sox fans-Green,then Woodward now Gonzales(laughing). Who is your shortstop? As Don Meredith sings in the background: Turn Out the lights! the Dead Sox are through for 2009!

We ARE paying attention. A brief stint in the minors was part of getting him ready for relief. Smoltz turned out to be a total POS. Don't make excuses for him, tonyg. Most fans have lost all respect for him, not just RS fans.

Smoltz realized he could never cut it in the real MLB, the AL. Good riddance you classless shit.

He just wants to make some additional money from another team.

Smoltz realized he could never cut it in the real MLB, the AL. Good riddance you classless shit.

Boston has to have the worst front running fans on this site in sports history. I know we suck, alot too, but what can you do, cry over spilled milk, drop a swiss cheese sandwich, spoon a friut loops and miss, piean eye, its over. Go Cowboys.

He wants to go back to the NL... he sucks in the AL and he knows it, and the Red Sox know it... Bye John, go back to the NL where the living is easy on our dollar.

Someone please explain why the Sox have to pay him if he refuses to be to go to the bullpen, but will do so for someone else? Doesn't that qualify as insubordination??? How does he get away with this? Was it in his contract that he would only be a starter?

This guy throws BP. There is no doubt about it. 88mph fastball and zero movement on any of his breaking pitches. The fuse has been lit on this team. Unless they turn it around the team willdefinitely get blown up after this season. Having 8 bases swiped on you in one game is absolutely ridiculous. I'm not throwing in the towel on this season yet, but I'm definitely unhappy about the way things have turned out.

None of us were privy to the communications between the Sox and Smoltz. Sometimes the Sox PR / Media team puts out information, I think, that is disingenuous. However, my sense (and it is just that, a sense, based on what I read, which is the same thing everyone else reads) in this case is that the Sox treated Smoltz very well throughout this whole process, and that the poor pitching Smoltz, while he may have no legal obligation to stick with the Sox and go down to their minor leagues (for about what, a month before rosters expand and he gets called up?), had a moral obligation to do that. So, unless there's other factors involved here, I think Smoltz is acting less than honorably.

Who cares about the whether the Red Sox are on the hook for the salary? Only one of the several ownership partners. It's not like the money being spent on Smoltz is what is keeping Theo from obtaining a reliable bat or Francoma from handling his pitching staff correctly.

Watch him go to the NL and post an ERA of 1.06 the rest of the way

Not only do I doubt he will be a force in the NL..I doubt he would be a force in LL

"Low risk high reward" aka "scrap heap buying Sox FO"

Guys, the Smoltz deal was low-risk because it's only a one-year contract. Ditto for Penny, Saito, etc. They don't tie us up for 4 or 5 years like the Renteria, Lugo, and Drew deals.

As for handing big money to free-agent pitchers...I guarantee you that the Yankees will regret the last two years of the Burnett and Sabathia deals. A.J. is likely to throw out his shoulder again (he makes Drew look like an Ironman). And there's no way C.C. will be a $23M pitcher when he's 35. In the meantime, we'll have the financial flexibility to lock up Beckett, chase after Mauer, etc.

Yeah!!!!!!!

it sounds like he doesn't want to be a minor league reliever for the Sox when there's a chance he could hook up Pro somewhere else, are all of you sincerely misunderstanding why that would be appealing to him?

and the guy had freaking tommy john surgery, how many of you whimsical vegetarians are so delusional that you believe it's an easy feat to re-acclimate after that procedure?

Hello!! 8 minutes to game time....wheres line up?

The reason he can't/won't releive here is there's not a spot for him with the way the bullpen is set up. (Bard, Delcarmen. Papllebon etc,). If he goes somwhere else, say like St.Louis there may be a spot for him. At this stage of his career I don't believe he has to prove his loyality to fans of a sinking ship. The Sox sought him out and it didn't work. It's a shame some are so blinded by their team loyality that they can't look at things objectively.

What a POS. He'll pitch in relief for another team but not the Sox? Maybe they should just void his contract. That is the problem with MLB. Guaranteed contracts. He didn't earn one dime of that 5 mil, and if he had any character at all he would give it back.

before you people start complaining about smoltz pitching in relief, please get the facts straight!!! he had no objections to pitching relief for the sox! he DID NOT want to pitch in the minors, which is what the sox wanted him to do, then to come back and pitch relief. smoltz wanted to stay at the MLB level! why is that so hard to understand?

Why would he be a reliever for another team, but not for the Sox?

Answer: Ego and pride.

It's over Johnny! It's over!

tonyg-Boston has always been a city that admires players that play hard and are reasonable in various situations. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Smoltz should have been embarrassed with a plus 8 ERA. For 5.5 mil., he should have been ready to do whatever the Red Sox required in order to have any success at ML level this year. Getting irate over a player acting in a way that is selfish does not constitute being a frontrunner. He has hurt the team, both on the field and in the wallet. Maybe that makes you happy or maybe you think it's all ok. Not in my book. I've been a RS fan since 1962. I've rooted for teams that finished everywhere from 1st to last. I've seen lots of characters come and go. The Red Sox are my number one team of all sports. Don't you come on here calling ME a frontrunner. You have NO RIGHT.

The majority of the posters here are nothing but bunch of pink hats. He "used the Sox"? Lmao, get over yourselves already, it's a business. They released him, he decided not to take a minor league option instead looking to latch on with another team. It's business. Move along

I guess the only question left is why Theo wasn't in on a Pedro comeback.

You guys are all missing the point. It was worth a shot, he looked good when we worked him out but it didn't pay off. His contract is guaranteed. It's a sunk cost. Forget about the money.

Look at the results. Smoltz doesn't have the stuff to pitch in the AL East, whether it's as a starter or reliever. We don't want him around.

Once you've written off the money and written off the pitcher, there's nothing left. Move along.

Dont Blame Smoltz! Blame Francona andTheo and their genius at work here. I truly believe that Smoltz caused the Red sox the first place and possibly the playoffs. Francona especially showed poor judgement after everyone else in the world was syaing that smoltz was done!!!
Dont believe for a second that the psyche of this team wasnt destroyed by the games that Smoltz piched. He really made the players feel like the sox were a mediocre team and that is how they have ended up.
The game against the yankees was really unrecoverable damage for this year.

What happened to Smotlz is a prime example of Theo believing in his own genius. It was a terrible match from the start. Smoltz needs to be in the National League.

JOHN SMOLTZ WANTS TO GO TO AN ORGANIZATION THAT CARE ABOUT THEIR PLAYERS!! NOT SOMEONE THAT SAY THE PLAYERS ARE ALWAYS WRONG AND THE OWNERS ARE ALWAYS RIGHT!!

The Red Sox were stupid to sign Smoltz for 5 million, so now they are getting what they deserve. The Braves were not so stupid - the only thing sure about Smoltz was that he would either be a bust or wind up on the disabled list. Smoltz was a good pitcher, but he is done.

I'm waiting to hear reports of Smoltz claiming that the Sox disrespected him, just as he did with the Braves. If teams keep giving him the ball, he'll keep sucking. Hard. He's got nothing left. He's been around long enough with his "new" arm for decent clubs to know that you just have to not swing at the junk and wait for his flat fastball. What a disaster. The fun will come when watching him destroy his next team's chances for the postseason.

The hell with 'im.

Whoa whoa whoa
Boston fans relax.

Why the hell would he want to come back to the Red Sox when they designated him for assignment (this is a huge slap in the face) -- I cant say i'm surprised he say he would pitch elsewhere
Second, who gives a shit that other teams are expressing interest.. his ERA was above 8?? My grandmother can pitch better than that.
How about not being able to score runs.. why aren't people up in arms about that?

Later Smoltz -- Enjoy the Hall of Fame

Smoltz evidently believes he needs to pitch in the Majors if he is going to get his arm back - he's done the minor league thing. The Red Sox didn't offer him that. If another team does, it seems reasonable for him to sign with them. I just don't see any dishonor in that choice.

Low risk high reward? Low risk unless you want to win.

wha wha wha you sox fans got what you paid for. sorry smoltz retire or stay with boston. you signed now honor it

good maybe we'll start winning some games....

"Wah, wah, wah Red Sox babies....John Smoltz won't be visiting your plaque in Cooperstown. Show some respect and class. You all conveniently leave out the part regarding "going to the minor leagues" to work as a reliever." John Smoltz isn't the reason the Red Sox season is circling the toilet bowl at this point.

Eff him. He should've honored his contract and been willing to help the team. I am fed up with phony 'christians' (see: Schilling). Bye smoltzie, we hardly knew ye. I disagree with those who feel he will be a presence elsewhere - he is nothing more than a russian roulette pitcher - he has a bad inning in his chamber that could go off at any time. Boy is Epstein overrated and if Francona cannot make some difficult but meaningful decisions starting Tuesday re Varitek and Ortiz and the reserves then he deserves the same consideration. Maybe the 04/07 titles were won in spite of not because of their contributions.

He just needs to retire. If he were 37 or 38 and coming back from that surgery, he could have take a little more time to heal, but he's 42. That's just too old. As to the situation, on the one hand, he did seem to be able to get through a couple of innings pretty well and you wonder why the Sox just couldn't put him in the pen directly rather than going to the minors, perhaps they wanted to see if he could get warmed up quickly enough to relieve and didn't want to try that in the majors. They already tried him as a starter and it was disastrous. They are trailing in the WC race largely because of Smoltz' ineptitude. So, yes, I think the moral thing would have been forhim to go ahead and go to the minors for a few games, demonstrate if he could actually heat up in time to get out and pitch a couple of innings. That he refused to do that seems to me to be pure ego.

Cox knew what he was doing whenever the braves released john. I hope he does well. The bosox could not spend more time trying to find out. There number l problem is their hitting, especially in the cluch. I"am sure they could stand another starter. It was tough losing our two starters this year.

Dear John Smoltz,

Kindly explain why you will work as a reliever for any team that doesn't have "Red Sox" as part of its name.

Sincerely,
Red Sox fans

Nice Theo, really nice.... Lugo's salary the Sox have eaten (circa 13M), Smoltz's salary the sox have eaten (5.5M) - that is $18.5M is completely wasted money -- and wouldn't you know it - the Sox got outbid by NY for Mark Teixtera by ... about $18m ....

But hey, look at the bright side, Smoltz put arses in the seats when he was in the minor league's rehabbing -insert eye roll-

To mg & others -
Smoltz didn't refuse to be a reliever for the Sox. He refused to go to the minors to prepare. Since he has a number of years experience as a reliever, I somewhat understand. I think he should have gone straight to the 'pen. Even his numbers bear him out.
Through the first two innings of his starts Smoltz has a 2.81 ERA, allowing 5 runs in 16 innings. FOUR of the 5 runs he gave up were in his first start. So, in the 14 innings of the first two innings of his other starts, he gave up ONE run. That's a .64 ERA. Considering that he was pitching on the pace of a starter, it is logical to consider that he may have been even MORE effective if he was throwing with the knowledge that he only needed to pitch a couple of innings. His ERA climbed dramatically once he hit the third inning, usually about the time he hit the top of the order the second time, which would never happen as a reliever.

The issue is not whether he wants to pitch as a reliever or starter. John's upset that the Red Sox wanted to send him to the minors. He said F that & w/20 years of experience, he has a right to say F that!

NOW we can't even get our $4,500 Cash For Clunkers money for him any more!

This is the worst year Theo has had. It started with this unnecessary signing. 5.5 million?????? Think about that. $5.5 Million. Some families work generations upon generations to accumulate that wealth. Then all these mid-year signings to make Tito's job very difficult. He's gaming for next year, not this year. He gave up. Time to fire Theo and move on.

Hey Smoltz, thanks for nothing you pathetic self-centered jerk!

Come on everybody, we should please happy, he is going some place else. I don't know why Red Sox took him to begin with. Let him go, don't get mad. Get Happy, Smoltz gone!

Just a guess here, but I believe the reason he won't pitch relief for the Sox is because he does not want to go to the minors to work on his mechanics, whereas another team may be willing to put him on the major league roster right away in either a relief or starting role. I don't think any AL clubs should realistically be looking at this guy for anything other than mop up duty. He may have some low to mid velocity on his fastball, but his control left him after the surgery imo.

As Smoltz was repeatedly lit up like a Christmas tree I figured this guy wasn't all the way back yet from his shoulder operation. So asking him to essentially rehab in the minor leagues is perfectly reasonable and I do not think anyone would have thought less of an obviously once great pitcher. Sadly, his ego couldn't handle it and he decided to show a lack of class and walk away from the team. So much for hoping to help the Red Sox. Yeah you really helped us all right. This story illustrates what is wrong with baseball. He should not be allowed to say no to the team request. He's on the team. He is being paid big bucks. He should do what the manager tells him to do to help the team. The guy is classless.

Just another moneygrubber.There is no team dumb enough to fall for his act again this year! He might be able to re-invent himself in the off season..

smoltz is a desperate man out to prove he can still compete. This was supposed to work to our advantage, but seems to have backfired. Very selfish move on Smoltzs behalf to agreet to pitch in another teams bullpen, but not ours. I am not sure why we deserved that treatment from him as we are paying him 5,5 million. He must know that whatever role he serves here in Boston he is going to get rocked. He needs to getaway to the NL where the strike zone tends to be bigger and the there is usually atleast 1 guaranteed out in every lineup.

I think many of you posters may be missing the point here. My guess is that the Sox did NOT really want Smoltz to pitch in the 'pen, he was getting lit up by AL hitters and they knew he was only a liability. The story about him refusing a minor league assignment was a way for the organization to let him save face a little bit.

How many guys are we we paying to play for other teams? Rentaria, Lugo, Smoltz, Manny and who else?

Just amazing how many posters are complaining about Smoltz not willing to pitch out of the sox pen when that was not the issue. It was his not willing to go to the minors, something his new team may not ask him to do. Once you`ve been treated to 1st class service for 20 years it`s hard to do that AAA thing. Why should he anyway? As a starter his arm strength is already there. From watching him, location seemed to be the big issue. Those complaining about this situation seem unknowledgable of how the game works. The sox knew and so did Smoltz.
They both made choices.

My take is that Smoltzie felt embarassed by his release and refused to stay with the team. He's angry most likely. Now he'll go to another team and prove that he can still pitch. I need a crown on my tooth because of this baseball season. This is the worst season since 1994.

I like what the Ranger's manager said. We're not afraid to call up our young players and let them play.

I don't think the problem was the bullpen as much as the minors... just what I got out of it. Now we just need to get rid of Penny... Out with the old... give some young arms a chance.

another costly deal by THEO.

I agree with "Charleston fan". I know Smoltz is super-competitive, but after being blessed with an obscene amount of money, find a way to retire with grace. Go to the minors; prove you can still pitch in the majors, and the Sox will bring you back for the playoffs.

To all the people upset that he won't convert to a reliever for Boston...exactly what sport were you watching the last 2 months? Is having him on the Fenway mound agains something you actually want? I get that his first trip through the lineup was ok, but isn't it just better to part ways and say sorry it didn't work out.

Some of you are truly astonishing. I'm almost embarrassed to be a fan of the same team as you.

Thanks a lot Smoltz, thanks for taking our money and giving nothing in return.
You are an old piece of s**t in my book.
Smoltz's actions are exactly why teams never really want to give oldies contracts at all. The teams need to be in more control of the players, not vice versa.
My respect and admiration for Smoltz and his career have completely dwindled because of this crap he has pulled on the Sox.
Sue Smoltz for the rest of the money, Fire Theo, get rid of most of the pitching staff, and start over for next season because the Sox are done this year- this embarassing year...

Smotlz is nothing more than a washed up, selfish, me first type of player. He knows the end of the road is near and basically would bolt for a better situation, such as he's doing now. It's too bad he doesn't realize how bad his game is and what patience the Red Sox had in his lackluster performance. The bottom line is a non-proven pitcher with his gaudy numbers wouldn't have lasted as long as he did without a demotion. Look in the mirror and see what stares back at you John!!!!!

The thought of Smoltz...., must give Theo nightmares. Sure does for me........Hopefully Theo will learn from his non-competitive moves of 2008-2009............When I think of Smoltz, I think of what a failed year the Front Office has had....Theo and team actually had most fans drinking the cool-aid, as we discussed how economic savvy Theo was compared to those spending foolish Yankees....How did that work out?.... Tex, CC, Burnett, and Swisher have all worked out fine.......Thats what I think about when the name Smoltz is mentioned..........

Coulda had Pedro if the Sox Brass swallowed their pride.

Good Bye and Good Riddance! Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Smuck Foltz

Pete, while you are absolutely right, it's not really a question of should he have been kept. All he would have been is an innings eater on a night the Sox are getting crushed or way ahead. He's toast. Just think it's beyond selfish to refuse to go to the bullpen for the organizations that is PAYING HIM 5 MILLION DOLLARS, and blow them off to be a reliever for another team. All I ever heard is how classy he is. By all means, take your sky high ERA somewhere else, along with your dignity.

Those people pining for Pedro to return are delusional!..Theres no way Pedro Martinez was coming back to the Red Sox or the American League for that matter Hes lost a lot on his fast ball and he is only good for 5 maybe 6 innings so he is better off against the weaker National League teams... Think before you whine!

We love him ST Louis. Great job Sunday! BoSox -> send checks to Cardinals Clark St St Louis MO