| 10 February 2009
The Bottom Line polled Red Sox bloggers from across the Nation and asked them five questions about the upcoming season. You can find all the answers here.
Below are the answers to Question 2:
2) Which Free Agent signing will have the most impact in 2009: Smoltz, Penny, Saito, Kotsay, Baldelli?
Kent from Boston Blogger - John Smoltz.
Peter from Peter's Red Sox Forever - Again, Penny...remember, that's a guess...but I have high hopes.
JS from Baseball Heavy - John Smoltz. (Mark Kotsay? What the hell?)
Matt from Fenway West - Smoltz would be my first choice as I explained in the first question, after that I think Kotsay would have the most impact because he could see a ton of playing time if Drew keeps getting hurt or when Youk goes to 3rd if Lowell is out.
Michael from Sox Addict - I think John Smoltz will probably have the biggest impact in 2009. My original thought was Brad Penny but he hasn't performed too well against AL hitters in the past and I'm still not sure he's going to be 100% healthy. Smoltz on the other hand, won't pitch if he's not healthy so he should be a nice surprise in June.
Bob from Boston Sports Media Watch - The Baldelli signing was the best. Notwithstanding the bullpen help it returned, I didn't like the Crisp trade and this makes up for it. Medical reports suggest Rocco is back to health with lots of upside, and any outfield consisting of J.D. Drew will need a strong diet of upside. Maybe Theo can sign Abreu and trade Drew to the Royals for their bat-boy.
Chris from Boston Sports Buzz - Sticking with the bullpen theme here, I see Saito having a huge year in Boston. He'll be 39 when the season starts and the odds are stacked against him as he's coming back from injury, but he's been just about the most dominant NL closer in the past three years with the Dodgers. Depending on the role the Sox decide to use him in (have to think it would be late inning work at this point), he could really wow people here.
Ian from Sox & Dawgs - I think Smoltz will have the biggest impact for the Red Sox this season. It's a chance to show people that he isn't done. Plus when you put him with some of the younger Red Sox pitchers like Jon Lester, things can only get better for him. If he can come back and be healthy and be the John Smoltz of old, it could be lights for the Red Sox staff.
Jeff from The House That Dewey Built - Baldelli. I just think think now that they know what's wrong with him, they can keep him healthy for 300-400 plate appearences, which is great insurance for Drew/Ellsbury/Bay. I think there is a better chance of that than a 42 year old staying healthy after labrum surgery, for example.
Dan from Red Sox Monster - Again, I don't think Saito's presence can be understated if he returns to All-Star form -- and I think that's a lot more likely than Smoltz or Penny winning 15 games.
Side note: With Mike Lowell likely to miss some games early in the year as he comes back from his hip injury, Mark Kotsay's early-season performance could be a wild card for the Red Sox. I'd settle for .275 and some tough at-bats -- the Sox are going to need that punch.
Evan from Firebrand of the AL - Smoltz. He is a freak of nature and can contribute effectively whether in the rotation or bullpen. The only question mark is injury, but his recovery seems to have gone well.
Bottom Line: Again the Red Sox bloggers spread the love, but it's clear that most of us are very excited about John Smoltz. The guess is that Smoltz will be ready to contribute in May and adding him to an already solid starting rotation would make the Red Sox very dangerous in the second half. But, as a few of you mentioned, adding Saito to the bullpen is another key move that could pay huge dividends if he can stay healthy.
What do you guys think? Leave a comment...
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