Courtesy MLB.com

(March 16, 2010) John Smoltz has not ruled out the possibility of pitching again. But for now, the only baseball-related activities he has scheduled this summer involve his new role as a broadcaster.

Turner Sports announced early Tuesday afternoon that Smoltz will serve as one of their guest analysts for national broadcasts and also perform the same role during the 45 Braves games that Peachtree Television will broadcast this season.

About an hour later, MLB Network revealed that Smoltz is the newest member of its on-air roster.

While it appears that Smoltz may be leaning toward retirement, he has told friends that there is still a chance he could decide to pitch again at some point during this season.

Smoltz will team with Joe Simpson and Ernie Johnson to serve as the broadcast team for the games broadcast on Peachtree Television. He will also be part of the mix of players that TBS utilizes as guest analysts for its Sunday afternoon national broadcasts.

The broadcasting world is not completely foreign to Smoltz, who worked as an analyst for Turner Sports during the postseason in 2007 and '08.

"Joining Turner Sports' Major League Baseball coverage is a great opportunity for me to stay immersed in the game that I love and I'm really looking forward to this experience," Smoltz said in a press release. "Having worked with TBS and Peachtree TV before, I am thrilled about the start of the 2010 season."

When Smoltz signed with the Red Sox before the start of the 2009 season, he ended an affiliation with the Braves organization that dated back to 1987, when then-general manager Bobby Cox acquired Smoltz in a trade with the Tigers in exchange for Doyle Alexander.

Now like his good friend and longtime teammate Tom Glavine, Smoltz will be handling some broadcast duties during what will be the final season of Cox's storied managerial career.

While serving in his new role as a special assistant to the team president, Glavine will handle various front-office roles. But he will also do some radio and occasionally serve as an analyst for games televised by Fox Sports South and SportSouth.

Unlike Glavine, Smoltz is not quite ready to utter the word "retire." Coming off the major shoulder surgery that wrecked his 2008 season in Atlanta, Smoltz combined to go 3-8 with a 6.65 ERA in 15 starts with the Red Sox and Cardinals last year.

"Whatever happens, I think everybody knows that I'll forever be a Brave," Smoltz said when asked about his future last month.

After Smoltz went 2-5 with an 8.32 ERA in eight starts, the Red Sox released Smoltz, who two weeks later landed with the Cardinals, who saw him go 1-3 with a 4.26 ERA in seven starts.

The improvement Smoltz realized in St. Louis kept him motivated and drew some interest from a handful of clubs that are still looking to improve their pitching staffs.

blog comments powered by Disqus