John Smoltz is about to remind us how smart Boston Red Sox are

by William Freehling

John Smoltz is close to reminding us again just how smart the Boston Red Sox are.

Given up for dead by the Atlanta Braves after suffering a shoulder injury last year, Smoltz signed on with the Red Sox for $5.5 million. That's right, the Red Sox gave a 42-year-old man coming off shoulder surgery more than $5 million to pitch just half the regular season.

Most teams, which think conventionally, would have scoffed at that price tag. But the Red Sox aren't most teams. They saw past Smoltz's surgically repaired shoulder and looked at career numbers that are mind-numbing -- 210 wins, 154 saves, more than 3,000 strikeouts and a career 3.26 ERA. They also looked at a guy with legendary athleticism and competitive drive.

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John Smoltz mentoring Boston Red Sox's young pitchers

John Smoltz is mentoring the Red Sox's young pitchers, including Justin Masterson and Waubonsie Valley's Michael Bowden. He has been especially helpful in trying to help Masterson improve his mind-set as a swingman whose role could change at any time. … The Indians weren't crazy about Shin-Soo Choo's insistence on playing for Korea in the World Baseball Classic. He has been having pain in his left elbow, which required surgery in 2007, and is limited to DH duties. The Indians have him penciled in as their regular right fielder, prompting GM Mark Shapiro to call it "an uncomfortable situation." … Tampa Bay closer Troy Percival appears on track in his recovery from back surgery. … San Francisco's release of Dave Roberts cleared a spot for Eugenio Velez, a hitter without a position. He will move between the outfield and maybe second base, where the Giants are looking at a platoon between Kevin Frandsen and slick-fielding Emmanuel Burriss. … Anybody else watch 21-year-old lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu in Korea's World Baseball Classic opener? He has a big-league future, and 22-year-old teammate Suk Min Yoon might be even better. …

Oakland's signing of Type-A free agent Orlando Cabrera means the White Sox are now on track to draft 23rd, 38th, 61st and 71st in the June draft. The biggest surplus belongs to the Angels, who have five of the first 47 picks after losing Mark Teixeira, Francisco Rodriguez and Jon Garland. … There's less of Brett Myers this year. The Phillies starter lost 35 pounds, which he credited to his off-season diet. "Making smarter choices while you drink beer," he said. "Instead of pizza, eat salad. Play for the tie." … Braden Looper's strained oblique probably will land him on the disabled list to open the season — not what the Brewers were hoping for when they signed him to stabilize a rotation that lost CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets. … With Jayson Werth going 20-for-21 in steal attempts and Jimmy Rollins 47-for-50, the Phillies became the first team in the modern era to have two players with a 90-plus percent success rate for at least 20 stolen-base attempts. First-base coach Davey Lopes, who teaches baserunning, hopes Shane Victorino (36-for-47 last season) can improve into that range. The bet is all of them will go down as opponents focus on stopping the base-stealers.

The Red Sox' Success Hinges on John Smoltz

When opening my inbox of e-mails this afternoon, Nino Colla presented me with a tough question:

"Both the Red Sox and Yankees are big spenders, probably one more than the other, but this offseason Boston opted to patch their holes with lower risked-high reward type signings like Brad Penny. The Yankees meanwhile retooled with cash. Which single offseason acquisition will prove to be the most successful in 2009?"

Without any doubt from me, the American League East will be the most competitive division in the MLB for the 2009 season.

The Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees have loaded 25-man rosters, and the Rays are no slouches either. The Toronto Blue Jays can be factored in as well, they have long been a good team stuck in the wrong division. The only real cellar-dweller team looks to be the Baltimore Orioles.

The 2008-2009 offseason saw the Yankees bring in marquee names like Sabathia, Teixeira, and Burnett. The Rays added left fielder/designated hitter Pat Burrell, as well as trading for then-Tigers outfielder Matt Joyce. The Red Sox combated these solid acquisitions by the division rivals by adding Ramon Ramirez, Takashi Saito, Brad Penny, Rocco Baldelli, Brad Wilkerson, and John Smoltz.

Of those signings, John Smoltz is the most important of the division from this past winter. Here's my logic as to why.

The Yankees did add two front-line starters in Burnett and Sabathia. However, those are essentially replacements for their 2008 rotation. Mike Mussina, who won 20 games in 2008, retired after the season. He will be replaced with CC Sabathia.

While Burnett is a solid pitcher when healthy, that "when" is a big "if." Injuries have plagued Burnett for years now. In 2008 Burnett made 34 starts, the first time he hit the 30-start mark since the 2005 season, and only the second time in his career.

Obviously, Cashman didn't learn much from the Carl Pavano deal, or he was so desperate he became willing to grossly overpay for a pitcher who owns the Red Sox on a regular basis, despite the fact he is rarely able to put a full season together.

Also, the Teixeira deal is essentially a replacement for Jason Giambi. While Tex obviously is a better hitter and defender than Giambi, their power production is incredibly similar. I would also like to point out that before his Yankees career began, Giambi was essentially the same hitter that Teixeira is now. A perennial .300 hitter with Oakland, Giambi never reached that mark with the Yankees.

The Red Sox flooded their pitching staff with talent this winter. Theo Epstein added depth to the rotation and bullpen by bringing in Penny, Smoltz, Ramirez, and Saito.

The Red Sox already have a dominant front end of the rotation, headed by Beckett, Matsuzaka, and Lester. As if the Red Sox aren't good enough, imagine a healthy John Smoltz pitching as a fourth starter for Boston, with Brad Penny bringing up the rear. Smoltz has won 210 games in his career, serving as an excellent strikeout pitcher. Penny, who was plagued with injuries most of last year, started for the National League All-Star team in 2007.

If Beckett, Matsuzaka, Lester, Smoltz, and Penny are all healthy and locked in at the same time, this would really make the Red Sox a force to be reckoned with. With these five star pitchers firing on all cylinders by the end of the year, paired with Boston's fabulous bullpen and great offense, Boston will be very hard to beat down the stretch or in a short series.

How far the Red Sox go in 2009 largely lies on how Smoltz performs. If Smoltz can click in and find his "A game" in sync with the rest of the Boston staff, the Red Sox could go all the way once again. If Smoltz has more injury trouble or is ineffective, the Red Sox could suffer another disappointing end like in 2008.