3/18 22:28: According to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports,  his contract with TBS includes “outs” in the event he wants to return to his baseball career.

Rosenthal says that the Philadelphia Phillies have interest in Smoltz as a possible midseason addition.

3/16 15:11: According to a Turner Sports press release, John Smoltz will be joining the company as an analyst for TBS. He will serve as a TBS analyst for the regular season, as well as the network’s coverage of the MLB Playoffs.

“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. Having worked with TBS and Peachtree TV before, I am thrilled about the start of the 2010 season,” said Smoltz.

Smoltz has not officially announced his retirement from baseball, so the job with TBS comes as somewhat a surprise. Smoltz’s name has come up as recently as of last week with the Twins when injured pitcher Joe Nathan was diagnosed with a torn ulnar colateral ligament that may require Tommy John surgery.

If Smoltz, 42, does retire, he will finish his career with a 213-155 record, a 3.33 ERA, 154 saves and 3084 strikeouts in 21 seasons with the Braves, Cardinals and Red Sox. You can see Smoltz’s contract details and statistics here.