"The Red Sox ate the remainder of John Smoltz' $5.5 million contract yesterday when they could not pull off a trade and had to release him.

Smoltz is now a free agent. The Marlins, Cardinals and Dodgers are believed to be interested in signing the veteran right-hander.

The Red Sox couldn't tolerate Smoltz' utter ineffectiveness, and after he allowed eight runs in 3 1/3 innings against the Yankees on Aug. 6, the club designated him for assignment. The Red Sox thought Smoltz, with his slider still good, could make an effective reliever, but he refused to be assigned to the minors.

Because Smoltz' contract also contained hefty incentives linked to time spent on a club's active roster, interested teams shied away from trading for him.

In 40 innings spread out over eight starts, the 42-year-old pitcher allowed 37 earned runs and 59 hits.

Smoltz, along with right-handers Brad Penny and Takashi Saito, were Red Sox free agent pitching acquisitions this offseason.

Smoltz' deal was the biggest of the three. Penny and Saito remain on the team.

Youk's back

Infielder Kevin Youkilis' five-game suspension for charging and taking down Detroit right-hander Rick Porcello last week is over just in time.

The Red Sox went 2-3 without Youkilis, whose bat and glove were sorely missed."