It appears that the Cards are on the verge of signing John Smoltz, who officially becomes a free agent today. Let me rephrase that: John Smoltz is on the cusp of bestowing the Cardinals with his graces. After all... above all, this is his choice, as he will be making the same amount of moneda no matter where he goes, with the Sawx footing the brunt of the bill. Hey, at least it's not drama to the extent of Brett Favre.

I had to say it.

I will say that, like Mark DeRosa, this is a move that I had proposed before the internet caught fire with it. (Sometimes it feels good to pat yourself on the back, especially on a blog that features you being wrong 99% of the time). Does that make it the right one? Not necessarily, but I do think it's a logical acquisition that has no real downside.

Even in the rotation, where the Cards are supposedly looking to insert Smoltz, he would be an upgrade from Boggs/Wellemeyer/Thompson/whoever else Tony might throw a ball and a jersey at. Personally, I believe Smoltz will be best suited for the bullpen to play a pseudo-ROOGY role, as an onslaught of statistics will show, but his time in the rotation with Boston wasn't all that bad. Take it from The Hardball Times:

If you are a believer in xFIP [4.32], which adjusts for that HR/FB luck, then he has been pitching like a league average starter, which is quite a feat while pitching in a hitters ballpark and in the toughest division in baseball.

Now take that insight and apply it to the Cardinals, where he will be playing in a pitcher's park and in one of the weaker divisions in baseball.

The Cardinals also may very well be hoping to put Smoltz in the back of the rotation with the thought process that he could become the set-up man in October. That's thinking pretty far in advance, but it is a potential factor in a post-season bound team.

If Smoltz can merely pitch at the league average rate - 4.32 xFIP - he will have been an upgrade over Wellemeyer - 5.32 xFIP - and Boggs - 4.85 xFIP. My money's on him being able to do that, and my money's on Smoltz helping this team going forward.