Atlanta Braves Worst Mistake Ever-John Smoltz Goes To Boston

[Mitchell]

What has already been a nightmarish and pathetic offseason for the Atlanta Braves "Baseball Orginization", if you want to call it that, took the worst turn of them all today, when John Smoltz, who spent twenty years with the Braves, and compiled a 210-147 record, with 154 saves, numbers that should definitely get him to the Hall of Fame, signed with the Boston Red Sox.

This all happened for.. a difference of three million dollars. Yes, three million is a lot of money, but, to a baseball team that has already had an offseason where we could not trade for Jake Peavy, lost A.J. Burnett to the Yankees, and had Rafael Furcal supposedly renage on an agreed deal, to return to the Dodgers, this one is the cruelest blow of them all.

When Tom Glavine left Atlanta six years ago, he turned down a good offer from them. That was his doing, and, to be honest, I had a sense of satisfaction watching him struggle in New York.

Although Smoltz is 41 years old, when a guy posts the numbers he has, and comes back from two shoulder surgeries, including Tommy John Surgery, to pitch as he has, I say, that the Braves should have risked the extra couple of million. They supposedly had "thirty million" to spend this winter on players, and their whole winter's signing list has been... Javier Vazquez, a decent move, if combined with others. With Javier Vazquez, Jair Jurrgens, now no John Smoltz, and maybe no Tom Glavine, this team is going to be terrible in 2009. If you read Chipper Jones' comments in todays Atlanta Journal Constitution, it sounds very much like this may be his last year in a Braves uniform, as his contract is up, and he may well be playing somewhere else in 2010.

It would serve Liberty Media and the Braves hierarchy right if they lost, oh, say 106 games, (Their loss total in 1988, the year Smoltz came up), and if, in this terrible economy, attendance sank, to 1 million fans. Hopefully, after this year, the Braves will clean house. Bobby Cox will retire, and team president John Scherholtz, and GM Frank Wren, will either be fired, or will both resign in shame.

If anyone has a link to the Smoltz deal with the Red Sox, and could post it, it would be appreciated.

Mitch

 

[punkrockergirl]

i wouldnt call it the worst mistake ever.... smoltz isnt quite at the top of his game anymore but it wasnt smart

 

[Mitchell]

punkrocker, the reason I say it was the "Worst Mistake Ever". is when you consider all the other moves the Braves failed to make this offseason.

One writer in the Atlanta Journal Constitution eluded to the fact that not only do the Braves have the money to spend, but, even if Smoltz were to have been re signed, and could not pitch, the three to five million it would have cost the Braves to do so, could have been viewed as a "Thank you gift" to Smoltz, for his twenty years of service, and rebounding from so many injuries. Smoltz stayed, and often took less money to stay, when guys like Glavine, Maddux, and others left. $150,000 to $250,000 a year is chicken feed to a baseball team, which is what this deal would have amounted to, for his twenty loyal and productive years of service.

The Braves are going to be terrible in 2009, and will likely lose Chipper to Free Agency after the season. This is a team that is going to have to take its lumps for four or five years, and rebuild through the draft. If we rebuild with young players, we might be able to emerge on the other side like the Atlanta Hawks did, where they suffered for several years with poor seasons, drafted young players, and now have rebuilt themselves into a solid playoff team.

Mitch

 

[punkrockergirl]

punkrocker, the reason I say it was the "Worst Mistake Ever". is when you consider all the other moves the Braves failed to make this offseason.

One writer in the Atlanta Journal Constitution eluded to the fact that not only do the Braves have the money to spend, but, even if Smoltz were to have been re signed, and could not pitch, the three to five million it would have cost the Braves to do so, could have been viewed as a "Thank you gift" to Smoltz, for his twenty years of service, and rebounding from so many injuries. Smoltz stayed, and often took less money to stay, when guys like Glavine, Maddux, and others left. $150,000 to $250,000 a year is chicken feed to a baseball team, which is what this deal would have amounted to, for his twenty loyal and productive years of service.
The Braves are going to be terrible in 2009, and will likely lose Chipper to Free Agency after the season. This is a team that is going to have to take its lumps for four or five years, and rebuild through the draft. If we rebuild with young players, we might be able to emerge on the other side like the Atlanta Hawks did, where they suffered for several years with poor seasons, drafted young players, and now have rebuilt themselves into a solid playoff team.

Mitch

well said.. but it happens to all teams eventually you have to go young.. give them a year or 2 the braves are one of the class orginizations in the mlb. they will be back to their winning ways soon enough

 

[fantastic8]

Braves went from the model franchise in all of baseball, to switching positions with my Phillies to become one of the worst teams in the NL. Cox needs to retire before the ship sinks any further. They haven't been the same since their old pitching coach (Mazoni I think his name was) left for the Orioles job a couple years ago.

Not to mention I always though John Smoltz was a nice guy. Now he went up to that hell hole in Boston to play. lol

 

[Mitchell]

punkrocker, it will take the Braves far longer than a year or two to rebound. Who do they have? They have Mccann, and Francouer, and Chipper, who now wants to leave. They have no pitching except for Jair Jurrgens, who might be a one season fluke.

What might benefit the Braves the most would be, say,. three last place finishes in a row, to secure top draft picks. We got a guy named Chipper Jones in the draft, after finishing last in 1990, and, in spite of a few injuries, I'd say he turned out to be a pretty fine player.

Right now, we supposedly have tens of millions of dollars to spend, and we cant sign anyone. I read that Derek Lowe is meeting with the Braves. Why would he want to come here? A rotation of Jurrgens, Vazquez, and Lowe, is okay, but hardly championship caliber.

Barring a miracle, the Braves will likely be on a downward spiral, for several years. What would serve them right, is if Smoltz finally won that second coveted World Championship with Boston, that he never could get with Atlanta. That would really leave the Braves with egg on their faces.

Mitch

 

[punkrockergirl]

punkrocker, it will take the Braves far longer than a year or two to rebound. Who do they have? They have Mccann, and Francouer, and Chipper, who now wants to leave. They have no pitching except for Jair Jurrgens, who might be a one season fluke.

What might benefit the Braves the most would be, say,. three last place finishes in a row, to secure top draft picks. We got a guy named Chipper Jones in the draft, after finishing last in 1990, and, in spite of a few injuries, I'd say he turned out to be a pretty fine player.

Right now, we supposedly have tens of millions of dollars to spend, and we cant sign anyone. I read that Derek Lowe is meeting with the Braves. Why would he want to come here? A rotation of Jurrgens, Vazquez, and Lowe, is okay, but hardly championship caliber.

Barring a miracle, the Braves will likely be on a downward spiral, for several years. What would serve them right, is if Smoltz finally won that second coveted World Championship with Boston, that he never could get with Atlanta. That would really leave the Braves with egg on their faces.

Mitch

nah top notch teams dont stay down for long .. they will go on a yankee type spending spree if need be .. the ownership wont allow the team to stay down long

 

[FlockOfSeagulls]

my rangers flogged the Braves when they traded for Tex, We got a bunch of great prospects and you got a rent-a-player

 

[Mitchell]

Punk, you're forgetting one thing: The Yankees have a 200 million dollar payroll. They can afford just about anyone they want. The Braves don't have the warewithal to go on such a spending spree. The only way they might have a very large amount of money to spend, is if they trade Chipper, or if he leaves after this year. Also, whereas many free agents used to want to go to the Braves during the championship years, to sign up for years of the playoffs, why would you want to go there now? To sign up for several years of the second division?

Look at the Braves major free agent signings. Yes, it s true they were in last place when they signed Terry Pendelton and Sid Bream in 1991, but they got good in a hurry. When Maddux signed in 1993, they were coming off two World Series in a row. When Russ Ortiz and John Thomson signed in 2003 and 2004, they had more than a decade of dvision titles to point to.

In the new money era of baseball, players want to win now. Most free agents dont want to sign three to five year deals with bad teams, only to hear "We're rebuilding. We may be "competitive" by the end of your contract, in three to five years from now, but for now, we are "rebuilding", and will lose 90 to 100 games a year." Free Agents dont have to do that now. There are plenty of contenders, like the Yankees, Mets, Phillies et al, who have big money, and can say "We have a legitimate shot to win the World Series with the roster we have now, either this year, or next". From 1991, to 2005, the Braves had the tools to make the postseason every year. Now, they have nothing, but Chipper Jones, Brian Mccann, and Jeff Franccouer.

I think the Braves will be rebuilding. In a few years, they may be good. but for now, they will take their lumps. All one can hope for, is that the rebuilding process is a short one, because Turner Field is going to be mighty empty, until success returns on the field.

Mitch

 

[fantastic8]

Atlanta Braves are second to the Phillies I believe as far as most losses in sports history is concerned. Sure they were good for a decade and a half, but I would hardly consider them one of the better franchises in baseball. Middle of the pack maybe, but not anywhere near the top.

They won't be good for awhile. The Phillies and Marlins are relatively long, and you can never tell what the heck the Mets are going to do. Their farm system just ain't what it used to be.

 

[makemlaugh2003]

THE BOSOX GOT SMOLTZIE?!?!

Way mondo killer awesome! Just what my beloved Sox needed after falling just shy of reaching the Series again this year! Why, with a rote of Matsusaka, Beckett, Lester, Smoltz-bo and Timmy Wakefield, who can pitch til he's, like, a hundred and seven, the Sawx can counteract the hated Yanks' signing of CC Sabathia and likely win the whole enchilad...er, the whole bowl of baked beans again! All Smoltz has to do is stay reasonably healthy, and the rest should fall snugly into place at Fenway. Wow! This is mucho grande dynamite news! And now, of course, ol' Curt Schilling can finally retire and devote the rest of his natural life to that blog o' his, too...

 

[fantastic8]

Oh come on, you guys still won't beat the Rays. Then Yanks are better too.

Geez you win 2 World Series and you go from tolerable to more annoying then the damn Yankees.

 

[makemlaugh2003]

Well, that's two World Series since 2004, versus none for the Yanks since '00...

...and none at ALL for the Rays, who will NOT, repeat, NOT return to the Fall Classic this year. The Bosox have no true glaring weaknesses, while the Yanks have no center fielder, big problems at catcher if Jorge Posada can't stay healthy, and small problems even if he can, and the Rays might not fall back to the depths of where they could always be counted on being in, but this past season was a fluke, and they won't make the playoffs this time around, possibly finishing no higher than third in the AL East. The Sawx made a great move getting Smoltzie and, when you look at all the clubs' rosters up and down, are now the clear favorites to win that division. Sorry.

 

[Mitchell]

I have my B.A. in history, and it's amazing to think of the historical significance of Smoltz's career.

When Smoltz first came to the majors with the Braves, Ronald Reagan was in his last year in the White House. George HW Bush was running for president.

The year Smoltz first came up, the Mets were winning a relatively easy division title. In fact, his first major league start was July 23,1988, against the Mets, at Shea. I remember his first start. That 1988 Mets team who Smoltz faced in this first start included Dwight Gooden. and Sid Fernandez, Bobby Ojeda, Ron Darling, Darryl Strawberry, and Gary Carter. Guys who have been retired for a LONG time.

The Braves, for their part, still had Dale Murphy in the clubhouse back then, and Bruce Sutter. They drew less than 850,000 to old Fulton County Stadium in Smoltz's first season, in which they lost 106 games. They were the most sorry team in the majors in 1988, along with the Orioles.

Smoltz was with the Braves for six presidential adminstrations. (Reagan, Bush 41, and then two terms each of Clinton, and George W Bush) He played in two different home ballparks, and has seen a lot of ballparks open and close around major league baseball. He pitched at Fulton County Stadium, the Vet, Shea Stadium, old Yankee Stadium, the Astrodome, and Jack Murphy Stadium. Since then, he has pitched at Turner Field, Citizens Bank Park, Minute Maid Park in Houston, Nationals Park, and may this year pitch at Citi Field, and New Yankee Stadium.

Smoltz has played with Dave Justice, and Ron Gant, Lonnie Smith, and a guy named Rick Luecken, a relief pitcher who was with the Braves in 1990, a guy who had such a difficult name to pronounce, that the late great Mets radio announcer Bob Murphy had to spell Luecken's name out, every time Luecken pitched against the Mets.

Smoltz celebrated a World Championship with Greg Maddux, and Steve Avery. Mark Wohlers, and Javy Lopez. Greg just retired this winter, as baseball fans know. The others, have been out of the game for quite some time.

Smoltz's tenure with the Braves, is quite simply, mind boggling, both for his accomplishments on the field (The only guy ever to win 200 games, and save 150 more) and the world events that occurred during his career. Had Smoltz not been in the bullpen for four years, missed another season with Tommy John Surgery, and parts of a couple of other seasons, with arm problems, he likely would have been a 300 game winner. As it is, he will be in the Hall of Fame, five years after his retirement, through a different route.

Goodbye, Smoltzie, and Good Luck. It would serve the Braves right if you won your second World Championship this year, pitching for the Red Sox, and the Braves laungished in the second division, before an empty ballpark, in this awful economy.

One Atlanta columnist called it "Surreal", and "Mind Numbing" that Smoltz is going to pitch anywhere else but Atlanta.

For an orginization that let Greg Maddux, a man who won 194 games with them in 11 years, losing only 88 in that time, leave Atlanta without even offering him a contract, after the 2003 season, and one that has seen many lows in the past five years,. this is the cruelest blow of them all.

Bad, Bad move, Braves. It would be poetic justice if this awful move came back to bite you in the ass this summer, on the field, and at the ticket window.

Mitch

 

[Adam]

It does seem pretty ridiculous. In baseball's economy, $3 million is like pocket change. Why hey couldn't have forked it over to let Smoltz retire a Brave is beyond me.

 

[studm883]

...and none at ALL for the Rays, who will NOT, repeat, NOT return to the Fall Classic this year. The Bosox have no true glaring weaknesses, while the Yanks have no center fielder, big problems at catcher if Jorge Posada can't stay healthy, and small problems even if he can, and the Rays might not fall back to the depths of where they could always be counted on being in, but this past season was a fluke, and they won't make the playoffs this time around, possibly finishing no higher than third in the AL East. The Sawx made a great move getting Smoltzie and, when you look at all the clubs' rosters up and down, are now the clear favorites to win that division. Sorry.

Clear favorites to win the division? You've got to be kidding me. I'm from Boston and even I think that's a joke. No true weaknesses? How about the lack of a catcher? How about a line-up that's north of 30, how about the concern of David Ortiz have a precipitous drop in production, how about Mike Lowell coming off hip surgery, how about JD Drew playing 109 games last year, how about the fact that the Yankees added the best free agent pitcher and position player on the market in the off-season, and the Rays bring back the youngest team in the majors with the addition of Pat Burrell to DH. Take off the rose colored glasses my friend...

 

[zepp3320]

I agree, as another red sox fan how does smoltz make us a clear favorite to win the division? stud already pointed out all of our glaring weaknesses.

 

[Mitchell]

zepp, Smoltz has extreme motivation, and you know he would just love to make it back, and win at least several games to help the Sox win a championship. What better revenge, and what better way to stick it up the Braves ass, for not signing him, then to do that.

I'm not saying that's going to, or will happen, but having been a Braves fan for John's whole career, and having watched him battle back from so many setbacks and injuries, including Tommy John Surgery, I'd be a fool to bet against him. My gut feeling, tells me that he will make it back, and will help the Sox in some way.

Mitch