John Smoltz 2009

Rotoworld is reporting that John Smoltz (rehabbing from major surgery) will be signing an incentive heavy contract with the Boston Red Sox. Smoltz will probably miss the first six to eight weeks of the season, so that cuts into his value in full season leagues. In his last full season (2007) Smoltz struck out 9.0 per nine innings and walked only 2.1 with a 44.7% groundball rate. He was even better in 2008 before he got hurt. He's unlikely to repeat those numbers in 2009 at 42 years old, coming off surgery, and going to a tougher league. He definitely could still be an effective pitcher though, and could end up being a bargain if people are scared off by the risk. He also may be an intriguing option in daily contest formats like Snap Draft and FSL, particularly when he pitches on the road (in pitchers' parks) against bad teams.