Braves target Lowe after losing Smoltz

The Atlanta Braves lost franchise icon John Smoltz to the Boston Red Sox on Thursday, but quickly turned their attention to free-agent right-hander Derek Lowe. The Braves are battling with their NL East rivals, the New York Mets, for the sinkerballer's services.

The Braves had shown scant interest in Lowe early in the offseason, instead focusing on trade talks for Padres right-hander Jake Peavy that fell apart more than a month ago and are unlikely to be reignited. They acquired right-hander Javier Vazquez from the White Sox, then turned to free-agent righty A.J. Burnett, but when the Braves wouldn't guarantee a fifth year, Burnett signed a five-year, $82.5 million deal with the New York Yankees.

The Braves, one of the few teams left with money to spend on free agents, have zeroed in on Lowe, who reportedly had been seeking a long-term deal for $16 million a year but whose price appears to have dropped now that he no longer has the leverage of the Yankees as potential bidders. The Braves also are one of several teams interested in Japanese pitcher Kenshin Kawakami, who is reportedly seeking a three-year deal.

The Mets reportedly offered Lowe a three-year deal for $36 million, and talks are ongoing, but the Braves' interest is significant, according to a source close to negotiations.

Lowe is represented by Scott Boras, who has another free-agent client, left-hander Oliver Perez, who pitched last season for the Mets and remains a candidate to return there. If the Braves lose out on Lowe, it appears unlikely they would turn to Perez.

Among the other free-agent starting pitchers still available are Ben Sheets, Jon Garland, Andy Pettitte, Braden Looper, Paul Byrd and Freddy Garcia.

Smoltz, meanwhile, ended ties to the only team for whom he has pitched in 21 seasons in the big leagues after the Red Sox were willing to gamble more than the Braves that he can come back from last June's season-ending shoulder surgery.

The Red Sox reportedly offered Smoltz, who will turn 42 on May 15, a guaranteed $5.5 million, with an additional $5 million possible in incentives.

Smoltz released a statement Thursday afternoon that stated: "I was going to withhold comment until the announcement of my signing with a new team, but I now feel the need to clear up any misconceptions and inaccuracies about the contract negotiations between myself and the Atlanta Braves. There were large discrepancies between the offer from the Braves and offers from other teams.

"I have always loved the city of Atlanta, and it will always be my home. I will cherish my 21 years with [manager] Bobby Cox and all my Braves’ teammates. I continue to wish the Atlanta Braves nothing but success in the future."

Later Thursday a Braves source close to the negotiations confirmed that Atlanta's offer guaranteed considerably less money than that of the Red Sox. The Braves would have paid Smoltz incrementally based on his health up to a maximum of $5 million if he remained on the major league roster for 60 days, and the guarantee was for no more than $3 million. The offer also included another $5 million in performance bonuses and $2 million in additional incentives. So Smoltz could have earned up to $12 million by staying healthy and pitching extremely well.

Seventeen players in big-league history have spent their entire careers of 20 years or more with just one team, and Smoltz, the only pitcher ever to win 200 or more games and save 150 or more, appeared certain to become the 18th.

But Smoltz, who has come back from four major elbow surgeries, managed to make just five starts for the Braves last season before he was forced to shut down because of shoulder pain. He subsequently underwent surgery to repair significant damage to his rotator cuff and labrum, but has made what appears to be a rapid recovery – by the first week of December, he was throwing again, and Braves manager Bobby Cox, who watched Smoltz's workout, said there was "no doubt in my mind" that Smoltz would pitch in the 2009 season.

The Braves held a $12 million vesting option on Smoltz for '09, but because Smoltz did not pitch 200 innings last season, it did not vest. Smoltz went through a divorce last year with his wife of 15 years and was amenable to moving on.

The Braves already will be without Tim Hudson, who underwent ligament-replacement surgery last August and could miss the entire season, and GM Frank Wren had said the team would proceed cautiously on plans to bring back Smoltz and another long-time Brave, Tom Glavine, who last season returned from a five-year hiatus with the Mets but had elbow and shoulder problems that required surgery.

Glavine, like Smoltz, only recently resumed throwing.

"We can't expect them to be in the top of our rotation and say, 'OK, we're set,''' Wren said after last season. "They have to be add-ons at the end of the day who beat out somebody already in our rotation. That's the only way we can approach it.''

But the Red Sox, who have a history of taking chances on rehabilitating pitchers, jumped in hard for Smoltz, a certain Hall of Famer. Last year, the Red Sox re-signed Curt Schilling to an $8 million deal even though he was coming off shoulder problems, and when it became apparent that he would not be able to pitch, signed Bartolo Colon. The Sox were hoping to get from 100 to 120 innings out of either pitcher, giving them depth in the rotation and allowing them a chance to bring along top prospect Clay Buchholz slowly.

Schilling did not pitch at all last season and Colon pitched just 39 innings over seven starts before breaking down, but Boston is willing to bet that Smoltz offers a better outcome. The Red Sox already have five established starters in Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Tim Wakefield and free-agent signee Brad Penny, who also had shoulder issues last season.

Only two pitchers in big-league history – Hall of Famers Walter Johnson and Ted Lyons – had pitched their entire careers with one team for as long as 21 years. Smoltz could have become the third, but instead is choosing the career arc followed by Hall of Famer Phil Niekro, who pitched 21 seasons for the Braves before signing as a free agent with the New York Yankees.

Another Hall of Famer, Warren Spahn, pitched 20 seasons for the Braves before being sold to the New York Mets.

The Red Sox also signed free-agent outfielder Rocco Baldelli to a one-year contract. The Rhode Island native is leaving the Tampa Bay Rays, for whom he batted .281 in five seasons.