Having been released on Monday, John Smoltz is available for whoever wants him. Just don’t count on the Braves being in that mix.
“With the anticipated addition of Tim Hudson in the near future we have not pursued John Smoltz,” Wren said in an e-mail on Monday.
This is hardly surprising, given the acrimonious parting of the two sides in the spring.
But even if the breakup had been the friendliest in the history of breakups, the Braves simply don’t need him. Only the Giants (3.51) and Dodgers (3.62) have better team ERAs than Atlanta (3.68). And even before the return of Hudson, their rotation is stacked with Derek Lowe, Tommy Hanson, Javier Vazquez, Jair Jurrjens and a serviceable Kenshin Kawakami.
Atlanta’s closer situation has been an adventure, certainly, but it seems doubtful Smoltz could make it any better at this point.
And of course we already know how our resident Braves fan feels about it.
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