Major League Baseball

Dombrowski: Smoltz 'probably not a fit' for Tigers

Published Aug. 18, 2009 7:22 p.m. ET

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Whenever John Smoltz is available, the question comes: Could he return to the Tigers, the team he cheered for while growing up in Michigan, the team that drafted him out of Lansing Waverly High School, the team that traded him to Atlanta in 1987?

The answer, at least right now: Not very likely, although Tigers club president/general manager Dave Dombrowski didn't entirely dismiss the possibility.




"It's probably not a fit for us," Dombrowski said Tuesday morning, "but we could still sit down and talk about it."

The reason appears to have less to do with Smoltz's present ability than it does Dombrowski's contentment with his own pitching staff.

Even without the injured Joel Zumaya, the Detroit bullpen has been relatively stable in recent weeks, thanks to closer Fernando Rodney, setup man Brandon Lyon and situational left-hander Bobby Seay. And based on Smoltz's performance with the Red Sox, it's not clear if he could be more effective in the rotation than Detroit's current No. 5 starter, Armando Galarraga.

The Tigers are also hopeful that Jeremy Bonderman, a former rotation mainstay, will rejoin the roster as a reliever, either later this month or after the Sept. 1 roster expansion.

"We like our bullpen," Dombrowski said.

Bonderman, still recovering from shoulder surgery, has made six relief appearances at Class AAA Toledo this month. Dombrowski said Bonderman's fastball velocity is now over 90 mph; his slider, an important out pitch, also has improved.

The Tigers pursued Smoltz as a free agent during the off-season, but he signed with Boston. The Red Sox placed Smoltz on release waivers Monday, after he went 2-5 with an 8.32 ERA in eight starts.

Smoltz, a former National League Cy Young Award winner with the Braves, is expected to clear waivers on Wednesday, at which point he will be free to discuss a new contract with any team. The Dodgers, Marlins, Cardinals and Rangers are among the clubs that have interest, sources have told FOXSports.com senior baseball writer Ken Rosenthal.

Smoltz, 42, does not intend to retire and is open to joining clubs as a starter or reliever, a source told Rosenthal over the weekend. The Red Sox will pay the remainder of the one-year, $5.5 million contract Smoltz signed in the offseason, less the prorated major league minimum if he signs with another club.

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