MLB Trade Rumors: Smoltz a fit for the Twins?
Mike Axia of MLB Trade Rumors runs through this thought. For any number of reasons I don't see it happening, but I've been wrong before.
5 months ago
Jesse
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I wouldn't mind seeing John Smoltz play for the Twins.
I’ve been a fan of Smoltz for many years. He will probably end up in the NL, though. One final run with Bobby Cox and the Braves.
I’d like to see the Twins sign Eddie Guardado to a minor league deal.
I think they will
Try out Rauch first. If he melts down then they will try Gurrier. If he implodes, They will go to Crain. When he loses his mind/stuff/confidence/our patience, it will be about time (end may) where we know whether or not Neshek has his confidence and stuff back.
If he doesn’t then the FO will go outside the organization and throw money at Smoltz, Or an offer to the indians/padres for wood/bell. I really think that while possibly losing Nathan is a big loss, it is one we can absorb. It doesn’t kill our chances of winning a world series or at least a playoff series.
Smoltz
I have long been a fan of Smoltz (during his second stint starting he was one of those guys I would always end up with on my fantasy team because I thought he was heinously underrated, along with John Lackey) and this time is no exception. Yeah, he hasn’t pitched much in the last couple of years, but his numbers were great all the way up until his injury in 2008. You will note a terrible ERA from his time in Boston and St Louis from last year, but don’t be fooled, take a quick look at those peripherals: a K/9 rate over 8, a BB/9 rate right at 2, good stuff. A very very high BABIP and very low LOB% really hurt him, but you can’t really blame that on him as his LD% remained totally unchanged (though his BG’s dropped by about 4-5% and turned into FB’s, but that’s not the WORST thing in the world). I would expect Smoltz to have a solid shot of putting up a 3.00-3.50 ERA as a full time reliever, which isn’t a new Nathan, but it’s another good reliever to add, and one that probably quiets the churning bowels of Ron Gardenhire.
Anyway, we’re still probably waiting for a couple weeks to see if Nathan’s arm pulls a miracle, and Smoltz has said he’s content to wait around for a midseason contract if that’s what the right deal takes, though I’m very interested to know what the dollar value of that right deal is. It seems to me at this point in his career the right deal should have more to do with finding the right situation than wringing an extra couple of million out of his body before hanging it up, but what do I know about being a multi-millionaire athlete?
At any rate, I think Smoltz is an option the Twins should investigate now and in the future.
Interesting how watching a whole bunch of a certain form of media has seeped into my writing. I just finished watching a whole bunch of Zero Punctuation (video game) Reviews over at The Escapist, and I’m enjoying the high-speed stream of consciousness thought belch style at the moment…
"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all."
~ Earl Weaver
"In God we trust. All others must provide evidence."
~ Billy Beane
Nice...
the churning bowels of Ron Gardenhire
If any of the Twins’ players form a band, I demand that this be the name of their first album.
"There are only two things that are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein
He's more than twice as old as Rick Porcello!
This will never die
From the only TRUE North division
by thewild_viking_twins on Mar 13, 2010 9:51 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Neshek
I noticed he closed out today’s game, and thus far is having a good spring. If he keeps it up, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s handed the job from day one.
by diehardtwinsfan on Mar 13, 2010 11:13 PM EST reply actions
Interesting
John Smoltz is a good pitcher and I can see him pitching in the AL if the Twins let him, but I would look for more of a starter than Smoltz. I can see the White Sox, Cubs, or Angels picking him up close to midseason.
Not a chance Angels would consider or need Smoltz.
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