Could Smoltz land with Red Sox?

John Smoltz has pitched for the Atlanta Braves since 1988, winning 210 games and saving 154. Ed Wolfstein/Icon SMI Tom Verducci's Mailbag Submit a comment or question for Tom. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND

1. The Red Sox are intrigued with the idea of a potential postseason rotation of Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jon Lester and . . . John Smoltz? Despite losing on their gambit last year to bring back Curt Schilling (felled by a shoulder problem), the Red Sox have interest in adding Smoltz, one of the greatest postseason pitchers of his generation. Smoltz, 42, has resumed throwing off a mound after undergoing shoulder surgery in June.

Smoltz has pitched his entire 20-year big league career with the Braves, who remain the favorites to wind up with the right-hander. But the Red Sox have been told that Boston "is one of the very few places" he would pitch if he decides Atlanta cannot give him one more realistic shot at the postseason. Smoltz, one of the game's great competitors, would thrive in the 81-game playoff atmosphere of Fenway Park. In a best-case scenario, Smoltz would be back in May, but the Red Sox would be willing to wait even if he needed more rehab time and became a second-half addition.

2. The Mets made a good buy in getting Frankie Rodriguez at three years and $37 million, especially when three years ago they gave Billy Wagner $6 million more -- and Wagner was six years older than K-Rod, who turns 27 next month. They bought the prime years of a guy who has never had a down year, without the risk of paying him into his 30s.

Still, K-Rod is not in the upper tier of great closers, but at the top of that next group. He allows too many runners to be a top-shelf, lockdown guy. Last year, for instance, among all pitchers who threw at least 60 innings, Rodriguez ranked 95th in WHIP, behind less-renowned pitchers such as Kevin Gregg, Mike Lincoln and Chad Bradford. Mets fans should expect some hairy ninth innings. A former teammate with the Angels said that Rodriguez will not have too much trouble adapting to New York, though he cautioned, "He's not a leader. He likes to be by himself for the most part. He'll have his moments with the media where he wants to be left alone, but he'll be fine."

The Mets, by the way, will have $23.8 million invested in roughly 65 innings from the closer spot next year. Wagner returned 187 2/3 innings and 101 saves for their $43 million investment.

3. Here's how thin the market is for decent catchers: The Reds actually gave up three live bodies for Ramon Hernandez, a catcher who turns 33 next year, makes $8 million, is coming off the worst season of his career while exhibiting a decline, and by the estimation of the Reds' own scouts, according to GM Walt Jocketty, showed frustration last year with often listless play. It's not so bad that Cincinnati gave up injury-prone Ryan Freel and two minor leaguers to the Orioles. As one GM said, "They wanted a catcher while giving up only spare parts." It's the idea that the Reds are betting on Hernandez suddenly becoming motivated and his younger self again. That's a huge old-school stretch, and runs counter to the trend in the game of relying on younger players rather than hoping mid-30s players with lots of mileage reverse their declines. This isn't 1998 anymore, folks.

It's a good move for the Orioles to open the catching spot for prospect Matt Wieters. They didn't need Hernandez around growing even more listless with Wieters taking away his job. By the way, the Reds hope their ballpark magically will restore the pop to Hernandez's bat. We'll see. Here are the worst hitting catchers over the last two seasons as ranked by OPS (minimum: 800 at-bats):

Jason Kendall .632

Kenji Johjima .691

Dioner Navarro .702

Ramon Hernandez .714

Ivan Rodriguez .714

4. Agents, who are used to money flowing freely this time of year, informally are throwing around the "collusion" word. The Yankees, who are shoving all kinds of money at starting pitchers, apparently didn't get the memo. The agents are walking a narrow PR line, anyway. Can they really complain too loudly that there aren't enough millions of dollars thrown at their clients while the economic recession costs more and more people their jobs and retirement savings? The K-Rod contract clearly indicated a market correction. Like Rodriguez, the glut of corner outfielders (Adam Dunn, Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell, Raul Ibanez, etc.) will likely find a lot less money out there than was in play a year ago.

5. The Rangers have told the agents for Andy Pettitte that if he wants to work with Nolan Ryan, pitch in his home state and, oh yeah, take a big pay cut from the $16 million he earned last year, Texas has a spot for him. But if Pettitte is going to take a pay cut, it figures to be for a return to the Yankees . . . Here's one GM's take on how the Yankees began papering the free-agent pitching market with money on Tuesday: "They've put so much money out there, they're practically announcing whoever takes it first, they'll sign." . . . The renaissance of Davey Johnson continues. He will manage Team USA in the World Baseball Classic next spring.